GIFT   OF 


The  Christian 
Science  of  Health 

Based  on  the  Scripture 


By  MARY  STARCK 


Dedicated  to  those  who  have  lost 
health,  and  wish  to  recover  it,  and  to 
those  who  have  health,  and  wish  to  pre- 
serve it. 


Copyright,  1917. 


^  -\ 


> 


INTRODUCTION 

The  ideas  presented  in  "The  Christian  Science  of 
Health,  based  on  the  Scriptures,"  are  the  result  of  years 
of  experience,  observation  and  study.  They  are  not  un- 
tried theories,  for  they  have  been  put  into  practice  by 
hundreds  of  Christians  throughout  the  world,  and  wher- 
ever tried,  have  proved  successful  in  bringing  about  a 
more  joyous,  healthy  and  useful  life  than  would  have 
been  possible  without  them,  and  those  who  have  been  liv- 
ing by  these  principles  will  have  no  hesitation  in  recom- 
mending them  to  anyone  who  is  seeking  the  right  road  to 
health  and  happiness. 

It  will  be  necessary  for  the  reader  of  this  book  to  keep 
a  Bible  by  his  side  throughout  the  time  while  he  is  en- 
gaged in  its  study,  as  the  references  given  must  be  read 
for  the  proper  understanding  of  "The  Christian  Science 
of  Health,"  and  as  each  new  truth  is  grasped,  it  must  be 
at  once  put  into  practice,  as  this  will  greatly  assist  in  the 
comprehension  of  the  rest.  Unless  this  is  done,  the  reader 
cannot  expect  to  receive  any  benefit  from  the  book,  or 
from  the  Bible,  whence  its  ideas  are  drawn. 

To  those  who  do  read  and  practice  its  principles,  how- 
ever, there  will,  without  doubt,  come  the  blessings  of 
health-improvement  and  happiness  which  they  have  been 
seeking,  and  have  sought  in  vain  elsewhere. 

So  the  writer  would  say,  "Go,  little  book,  the  world  is 
wide,"  and  there  are  many  souls  waiting  for  the  light 
which  may  come  to  them  through  thy  pages ;  carry  a  bless- 
ing to  them,  and  so  fulfill  the  mission  on  which  thou  art 
sent. 

MARY  STARCK. 


3G6908 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/christianscienceOOstarrich 


Chapter  I. 

SCIENCE  AND  RELIGION. 

The  word  science  means  knowledge,  and  comes  from 
the  Latin  word  "scientia,"  which  is  derived  from  the  verb 
"scio,"  meaning  "to  know."  However,  it  has  come  to 
mean  more  than  mere  knowledge.  A  man  may  have  a 
great  deal  of  knowledge,  yet  not  be  master  of  any  science, 
for  science  is  classified  knowledge;  all  the  known  facts 
on  a  subject,  collected  and  correctly  related  to  each  other, 
compose  the  science  of  that  subject. 

Physiology,  for  instance,  is  the  science  which  treats  of 
the  organs  of  plants  or  animals  and  their  functions. 
Theology  is  the  science  of  God  and  His  relations  to  man. 

Knowledge  is  obtained  through  the  use  of  the  five 
senses  with  which  man  is  endowed :  seeing,  hearing,  feel- 
ing, tasting,  and  smelling ;  it  is  classified  and  correlated  by 
reasoning  upon  the  facts  observed  through  the  senses. 

There  are  two  sources  from  which  we  obtain  knowl- 
edge; nature,  and  revelation.  Nature  is  a  wide  field  of 
observation,  and  while  the  human  race  has  been  busy 
here  for  thousands  of  years,  and  has  gained  vast  stores 
of  knowledge,  which  have  developed  into  numerous  sci- 
ences, yet  we  can  and  will  continue  to  study  and  learn 
from  nature  as  long  as  this  world  endures. 

The  book  of  nature,  if  rightly  used,  might  be  sufficient 
for  our  physical  needs,  but  as  we  are  more  than  merely 
physical  beings,  something  more  than  physical  science  is 
necessary  for  us.  Therefore,  through  many  centuries, 
God  has  been  giving  us  a  revelation  of  Himself,  His  rela- 
tion to  us,  and  our  obligation  to  Him.  This  revelation 
reached  its  climax  in  the  sending  of  His  Son  into  the 
world  nearly  two  thousand  years  ago.     (Heb.  1:1-3). 

The  history  of  all  that  God  has  revealed  about  Him- 
self and  the  human  race,  is  given  us  in  the  Bible.  God  is 
never  silent,  and  He  is  still  making  Himself  known  and 
felt  through  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  but  the 


6  Tfi£  Cfi&iSTiAN  Science  of  Health 

Bible,  having  been  tested  and  tried  by  friends  and  foes  for 
nearly  two  thousand  years,  and  having  proved  to  be  the 
only  authentic  book  of  revelation  in  the  world,  is  the 
standard  by  which  we  must  gauge  every  idea,  and  every 
old  idea  presented  in  a  new  form,  which  offers  itself  for 
our  consideration  (Isa.  8:20;  2  Pet.  1:19). 

While  we  usually  think  of  Christianity,  the  system  of 
faith  taught  in  the  Bible,  as  a  religion,  we  might  also  call 
it  a  science,  for  it  is  classified  knowledge  of  God  and 
humanity ;  of  His  relation  to  us,  and  our  duty  in  view  of 
that  relationship. 

The  science  of  medicine  is  that  which  has  to  do  with 
the  cure  or  prevention  of  disease,  and  the  establishment 
of  health.  Medicine  and  religion  have  always  been 
closely  associated  in  the  mind  of  the  race.  Among  sav- 
age tribes,  the  teacher  of  religion  and  the  healer  of  disease 
are  often  the  same,  as  in  the  medicine-man  of  the  Indians, 
and  the  witch-doctor  of  the  Africans. 

That  there  must  be  a  real  basis  for  the  close  relation 
existing  between  religion  and  medicine,  is  evident  from 
the  fact  that  they  constantly  keep  pace  with  each  other; 
false  religions  are  always  accompanied  by  inefficient 
methods  of  healing;  the  higher  the  religious  ideals  be- 
come, the  better  grows  the  system  of  healing;  and  the 
most  effective  medical  science  has  grown  up  side  by  side 
with  Christianity,  the  best  religion  known  to  the  world. 

Paul  told  us  long  ago,  that  godliness  is  profitable  for 
this  Hfe,  as  well  as  that  which  is  to  come  (1  Tim.  4:8), 
and  we  find  that  he  was  right — that  Christianity  helps  us 
not  only  morally  and  spiritually,  but  mentally  and  physi- 
cally as  well.  Therefore  many  who  have  been  neglectful 
of  spiritual  things  while  in  health,  when  sickness  comes 
are  willing  to  study  them  as  an  aid  to  recovery;  and 
although  they  may  not  receive  the  healing  they  have  been 
led  to  expect,  yet  they  do  find  partial  relief  in  placing 
their  thoughts  upon  higher  things. 

There  is  a  sound  physiological  reason  for  this.  Cen- 
turies ago,  Solomon  said,  "A  merry  heart  doeth  good  like 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  7 

a  medicine ;  but  a  broken  spirit  drieth  the  bones."  (Prov. 
17 :22).  And  the  latest  researches  in  medical  science  bear 
out  his  statement.  Emotion  causes  changes  in  the  action 
of  the  various  organs  of  the  body.  Grief,  anger  and 
hatred  create  poisons,  and  are  life-destroying.  Pleasur- 
able emotions,  except  when  too  intense,  affect  the  vital 
organs  favorably,  and  tend  to  establish  health.  Thus 
Christianity,  which  brings  peace  and  happiness  to  the 
soul,  and  which  preserves  the  poise  of  life  in  sorrow  and 
in  joy,  is  life-giving  to  the  body,  as  well  as  the  spirit  of 
man. 

This  being  the  case,  sick  or  well,  we  should  be  inter- 
ested in  the  things  concerning  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 
ought  to  devote  a  portion  of  our  time  each  day  to  studying 
the  great  text-book  which  teaches  them — the  Bible.  There 
we  can  learn  just  what  is  the  character  of  the  Lord  and 
King  of  life ;  what  work  He  has  done  and  is  doing  in  the 
world ;  why  His  work  is  hindered ;  and  how  He  will  tri- 
umph over  all  His  enemies;  and  meditation  upon  these 
truths  will  bring  us  great  rewards  in  every  department  of 
our  lives. 


Chapter  II. 
CHRIST  HEALING  THE  SICK. 

When  Christ  began  teaching,  and  had  gathered  a  band 
of  disciples  around  Him,  He  also  began  performing  mir- 
acles of  healing.  This  was  in  accordance  with  Old  Testa- 
ment prophecies  relating  to  the  work  of  the  Messiah 
(Matt.  8:17;  Luke  4:18-19). 

In  studying  these  miracles,  we  find  that  they  were  per- 
formed for  three  reasons :  First,  to  prove  His  claim  of 
divinity  as  the  expected  Messiah,  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God,  whom  He  declared  Himself  to  be ;  second,  out  of 
pity  for  those  who  were  suffering;  again  and  again  we 
read  that  He  was  ''moved  with  compassion,"  "filled  with 
compassion,"  for  those  in  distress,  and  put  forth  His 
heaHng  power  in  their  behalf;  third,  to  illustrate  some 
truth  in  a  striking  way  (Matt.  4:13-16;  23-24;  Luke  7: 
11-15;  John  9:1-7). 

Yet,  as  we  read  the  gospels,  we  notice  that  healing  was 
not  the  chief  part  of  His  work.  His  teaching  and  preach- 
ing about  the  kingdom  He  had  come  to  establish,  occu- 
pied the  first  place,  the  miracles  being  subordinate 
(Matt.  5,  6,  7;  13;  20  to  25;  Luke  7,  8,  9,  10,  11,  12,  13 
to  16;  18-21 ;  John  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  10,  14  to  17).  Faith  in 
Christ  is  to  be  based  more  on  the  message  He  brought 
than  on  the  miracles  He  wrought.  Those  who  are  contin- 
ually seeking  physical  proofs  of  His  power,  are  usually 
disappointed,  as  were  the  Pharisees  when  they  demanded 
a  sign,  as  a  condition  of  their  support  (Matt.  12:38-40), 
and  as  was  Herod,  who  wanted  to  see  a  mircale  to  satisfy 
his  curiosity  (Luke  23:8-9). 

Nowhere  in  the  gospels  have  we  the  record  of  a  word 
indicating  that  Christ  desired  to  establish  a  new  system  of 
healing  in  the  world,  but  over  and  over  we  read  that  He 
has  come  to  set  up  a  new  standard  of  living  in  the  world 
— the  rule  of  love,  which  in  a  single  law  fulfills  all  the 


10  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

commandments  of  God,  and  is  to  be  kept  by  faith  in  the 
Son  of  God  (Matt.  5  :44-48;  22:37-39;  John  15  :9,  12,  17; 
and  many  other  passages). 

Twice  Jesus  referred  to  physicians  (Matt.  9:12;  Mark 
2:17;  Luke  5  :31 ;  Luke  4 :23),  and  in  each  case  the  infer- 
ence from  what  He  said  is  that  physicians  are  necessary 
for  the  sick,  and  do  heal  the  sick.  Again,  one  of  His  mir- 
acles was  the  healing  of  a  woman  who  had  spent  all  her 
money  for  medical  treatment,  which  had  proved  unavail- 
ing, yet  Jesus  had  no  word  of  rebuke  for  her  because  she 
had  gone  to  physicians  (Mark  5  :25-34;  Luke  8:43-48). 

Knowing  these  things,  we  can  understand  Christ's 
ministry  of  healing  better  than  if  we  attempt  to  place  it 
at  the  foundation  of  the  religion  He  came  to  establish. 
The  mircales  of  healing  sprang  from  His  heart  of  love, 
revealing  the  sympathy  of  the  Father  who  sent  Him  with 
suffering  humanity,  and  showing  us  how  our  compassion 
ought  to  go  forth  to  relieve  those  in  distress. 

While  we  rightly  call  Jesus  Christ  the  Great  Physician, 
it  was  not  primarily  as  a  healer  of  men's  bodies  that  He 
came  into  the  world,  but  as  the  Savior  of  their  souls ;  and 
His  mission  was  not  to  save  His  people  from  sickness, 
but  to  "save  His  people  from  their  sins"  (Matt.  1 :21). 

We  must,  therefore,  "seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God 
and  His  righteousness,"  and  then  we  have  the  promise 
that  all  things  necessary  to  our  life  will  be  added  unto 
us — the  food  and  clothing  needed  for  the  comfort  and 
health  of  the  body  are  promised,  and  we  may  be  sure  that 
if  we  do  His  will  He  will  give  us  just  the  degree  of  health 
which  is  best  for  us,  for  those  around  us,  and  for  the 
growth  of  His  kingdom. 


Chapter  III. 

THE  WORKS  OF  GOD. 

"In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heavens  and  the 
earth"  (Gen.  1:1).  Nature,  with  all  its  wonders,  is  the 
work  of  God's  hand:  land  and  sea,  mountain  and  plain, 
hill  and  valley,  river  and  rivulet,  with  all  that  in  them 
dwell,  vegetable,  mineral,  and  animal,  including  man — all 
were  made  by  Him,  and  when  He  looked  upon  the  result 
of  His  labor,  He  declared  that  it  was  good. 

Everything  had  a  use,  some  beneficient  purpose,  and 
there  was  nothing  to  mar  the  happiness  of  the  first  human 
beings,  whom  God  had  created  and  placed  in  the  Garden 
of  Eden.    It  was  a  Paradise  into  which  they  had  come. 

Though  man  has  lost  Paradise,  God  has  not  changed ; 
still  He  works  in  the  world,  and  still  His  works  are  good ; 
for  He  is  laboring  to  restore  us  to  that  happy  estate  from 
which  our  first  parents  fell. 

God  has  two  methods  of  working,  one  of  which  we 
call  the  natural,  the  other,  the  supernatural.  In  the  for- 
mer. He  works  through  the  laws  of  nature  which  He  has 
established;  in  the  latter.  He  works  independently  of 
these  laws.  The  changing  of  the  seasons,  the  seed 
springing  up  and  maturing  into  harvests  which  feed  the 
world;  the  reproduction  of  its  kind  by  every  plant  and 
living  creature,  come  under  the  first  method ;  the  creation, 
and  what  we  call  miracles,  come  under  the  second  method. 

We  might  better  call  these  ways  in  which  God  works, 
the  usual  and  the  unusual ;  for  the  natural  method  is  be- 
yond our  understanding  equally  with  the  supernatural; 
while  to  God  the  supernatural  is  as  simple  as  the  natural. 
But  having  established  the  laws  of  nature,  He  chooses  to 
work  through  them,  except  when  circumstances  demand 
swifter  action,  just  as  a  man  who  has  a  machine  which 
can  be  used  with  electric  power  or  without,  might  use  it 
without  the  electricity  under  ordinary  conditions,  but 
apply  the  power  when  conditions  demand  greater  speed 
in  his  work. 


12  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

We  know  that  God  generally  supplies  us  with  bread 
through  the  sowing  and  reaping  of  wheat,  but  when  the 
children  of  Israel,  on  leaving  Egypt,  were  placed  in  a 
position  where  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  sow  and 
reap.  He  provided  bread  by  sending  food  from  heaven, 
which  came  like  the  dew  each  morning  until  they  were 
settled  in  their  new  home,  and  the  need  for  it  was  over 
(Ex.  16:4,  14-15;  Josh.  5:12).  So,  too.  He  led  them 
through  the  Red  Sea  on  dry  land,  as  it  was  imperative  for 
them  to  cross  at  once,  and  they  had  no  time  to  build 
bridges  or  boats  (Ex.  14:10-16). 

Another  occasion  on  which  God  uses  His  supernatural 
method  of  working,  is  when  it  is  necessary  to  give  visible 
evidences  of  His  power  to  increase  the  faith  of  His  peo- 
ple, or  to  awe  the  rebellious  into  obedience  to  His  will 
(Exodus,  chapters  7  to  12;  Josh.  3:7-17;  2  Kings  18:31- 
39). 

Again,  He  uses  this  method  when  introducing  a  new 
dispensation;  as  when  He  was  delivering  the  Israelites 
from  Egypt  and  setting  them  up  as  a  nation  (Ex.  3)  ; 
when  the  Israelites  had  been  oppressed,  had  repented  of 
sin,  and  He  wished  to  deliver  them  (Judges  6:11-12;  19- 
21 ;  36-40)  ;  and  when  Christ  came  to  set  up  His  kingdom 
in  the  world  (John  2:11). 

Now  it  is  God  "who  healeth  all  our  diseases"  (Ps. 
103  :3),  but  His  way  of  working  in  healing  disease  is  not 
different  from  that  in  which  He  does  His  other  work.  He 
has  established  physical  laws  which,  when  observed, 
bring  health ;  when  violated,  bring  disease.  He  has  also 
provided  in  the  mineral,  vegetable,  and  animal  kingdoms, 
remedies  for  disease,  and  has  given  man  the  wisdom  to 
find  and  apply  these  remedies. 

As  the  usual  way  in  which  God  supplies  our  need  of 
food  is  through  the  natural  processes  of  sowing  and  reap- 
ing, so  the  usual  way  in  which  He  cures  disease  is  through 
the  discovery  and  application  of  the  remedies  which  He 
has  Himself  provided,  and  the  unusual  way  is  without 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  13 

means,  or  by  means  which  would  not  naturally  effect  a 
cure. 

An  instance  of  the  usual  method  is  found  in  the  case 
of  Hezekiah,  recorded  in  2  Kings  20  and  Isaiah  38  (2 
Kings  20:1-7;  Isa.  38-21).  The  second,  without  means, 
is  illustrated  in  most  of  the  miracles  of  Christ  and  the 
apostles,  and  by  unusual  means,  in  the  healing  of  Naaman 
the  leper  (2  Kings  5  :14),  and  in  some  of  the  miracles  of 
Christ  (Mark  7:31-35  ;  John  9:6-7). 

In  the  parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan  Christ  sets  His 
seal  of  approval  on  medical  treatment,  for  the  Good 
Samaritan  gave  the  best  known  at  that  time,  to  the 
wounded  man  whom  he  rescued,  and  this  parable  has 
been  the  inspiration  to  physicians,  surgeons,  and  nurses 
through  all  the  centuries  since  it  was  spoken. 

Again,  in  the  fifth  chapter  of  John's  gospel  we  have 
the  account  of  the  healing  of  a  paralytic.  John  tells  us 
that  there  were  five  porches  filled  with  diseased  humanity, 
waiting  for  the  stirring  of  the  pool,  which  gave  healing 
power  to  the  water.  Now  Christ  healed  but  one  man  of 
all  that  multitude,  and  he  one  who  was  entirely  helpless, 
and  had  no  one  to  assist  him,  and  no  opportunity  to  take 
advantage  of  the  healing  waters. 

It  is  evident  from  this  incident,  that  Christ  expects  us 
to  make  use  of  the  means  God  has  provided  for  the  cure 
of  the  sick.  His  command  and  promise  to  the  apostles 
(Mark  16:17-18),  of  miraculous  power  to  be  given  to 
them  and  the  believers  who  should  succeed  them,  has  been 
fulfilled  and  is  being  fulfilled,  for  wherever  the  Gospel 
has  been  preached,  wonders  of  healing  and  of  saving 
from  imminent  danger  have  been  wrought  by  faith  in 
Christ. 

God  works  now  as  He  always  has  worked ;  by  natural 
means  day  by  day,  and  by  supernatural  means  whenever 
it  is  necessary  for  the  good  of  His  people  or  the  glory  of 
His  name.  Therefore  we,  in  our  search  for  health,  must 
work  with  Him  in  the  physical,  as  well  as  the  spiritual 


14  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

realm,  studying  the  laws  which  govern  our  bodies,  and 
seeking  to  live  in  harmony  with  them,  as  well  as  with  the 
laws  which  are  given  for  the  soul ;  and  although  the  word 
of  God  deals  mostly  with  the  spiritual  life,  yet  we  will 
find  that  whenever  it  touches  upon  the  physical  life,  its 
guidance  is  as  safe  for  the  body  as  for  the  mind  and  spirit 
of  man. 


Chapter  IV. 

THE  RELATION  BETWEEN  BODY  AND  SOUL. 

There  are  four  theories  of  man's  nature,  held  by  dif- 
ferent sets  of  persons  who  have  given  more  or  less 
thought  to  the  subject.  One  class  of  people  say  that  man 
is  merely  a  physical  being;  he  is  the  highest  animal,  but 
nothing  more  than  animal,  and  he  will  perish  like  an 
animal ;  death  will  end  his  existence. 

A  second  class  believe  that  man  is  a  purely  spiritual 
being — he  is  all  soul,  or  mind,  and  everything  material 
about  him  and  about  the  whole  universe,  in  fact,  is  only 
an  illusion  created  by  his  mind. 

A  third  class  of  people,  comprising  perhaps  a  majority 
of  all,  believe  that  man  is  a  body,  or  physical  being,  but 
has  a  soul. 

A  fourth  class  of  people,  also  very  numerous,  draw- 
ing their  conclusions  from  revelation,  supplemented  by 
experience  and  observation,  say  that  man  is  a  soul,  but 
has  a  body. 

It  is  very  important  to  have  correct  ideas  upon  this 
subject,  for  however  a  certain  class  of  people  may  criti- 
cize creeds,  it  is  and  always  has  been  true  that  our  man- 
ner of  life  is  governed  by  what  we  believe,  and  that  false 
beliefs  lead  to  faulty  living.  Hence  we  will  turn  to  the 
most  reliable  authority  to  find  with  which  class  we  shall 
align  ourselves. 

Is  man  wholly  a  physical  being?  Is  he  purely  a  spir- 
itual being  ?  Both  of  these  questions  are  answered  in  the 
Bible  account  of  the  creation  of  man.  "And  the  Lord 
God  formed  man  out  of  the  dust  of  the  ground,  and 
breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  life,  andOl^dS&e 
a  living  soul."     (Gen.  2:7).  ^ 

This  settles  the  question  "What  is  man?"  by  assur- 
ing us  that  he  is  a  hving  soul,  and  that  this  soul  is  incor- 
porated in  a  material  body,  from  which  it  can  be  sepa- 
rated (Gen.  3:19;  Eccl.  12:7). 


16  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

The  body  limits  and  hinders  the  soul  (Matt.  26:41; 
Rom.  7:22-23)  ;  the  soul  can  control  the  body  (1  Cor.  9: 
27),  but  only  by  the  help  of  God  can  we  govern  it  prop- 
erly (Rom.  8:7-11).  Yet  the  body  is  a  wonderful  cre- 
ation, and  we  should  praise  God  for  it  (Ps.  139:14-16). 
The  body  was  meant  to  be  a  dwelling  place  for  God,  "the 
temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost"  (1  Cor.  6:19).  The  body,  as 
well  as  the  soul,  belongs  to  Christ,  who  died  to  redeem  us 
(1  Cor.  6 :20),  and  it  should  be  used  in  the  service  of  God 
(Rom.  12:1). 

God  cares  for  the  body,  and  provides  for  its  needs 
(Ps.  23:1;  Matt.  6:25-32;  Phil.  4:19).  The  body  is  to 
die  (Gen.  3:19;  Job  14:1-2;  Ps.  49:14;  Ps.  103:14-16; 
Eccl.  3:20;  Heb.  9:27).  The  soul  does  not  die  (Ps.  49: 
15;  2  Cor.  5:1).  It  returns  to  God  for  judgment,  and 
is  punished  by  a  miserable  exile  from  Him,  or  rewarded 
by  a  life  of  joy  in  His  presence  (2  Cor.  5  :10;  Heb.  9:27; 
Luke  15  :19-26 ;  23  :39-43).  The  body  is  to  rise  from  the 
grave  (John  5  :28-29)  ;  if  we  belong  to  Christ,  it  will  then 
be  freed  from  its  imperfections  and  Hmitations  (Rom.  8: 
21-23;  1  Cor.  15:46-54). 

The  soul  is  more  important  than  the  body  (Matt.  10: 
28;  16:24-26)  ;  we  are  not  to  be  good  in  order  that  the 
body  may  be  well,  but  are  to  take  care  of  the  body  in 
order  that  we  may  give  God  the  best  possible  service  (1 
Sam.  14:24-30;  Acts  27:23-36).  As  the  body  has  var- 
ious organs  and  senses,  the  harmonious  operation  of 
which  is  necessary  to  health,  so  the  soul  has  different 
capacities  and  faculties  which  must  work  together,  if  we 
are  to  have  happiness:  what  we  call  intellect,  or  mind — 
the  power  of  reasoning  upon  that  which  we  learn  through 
the  senses,  is  one  of  these  faculties ;  this  is  the  connecting 
link  between  body  and  spirit,  the  means  of  communica- 
tion by  which  each  exercises  control  over  the  other. 
Ps.  139:23-24;  Isa.  55:7;  Rom.  12:12.  Hence,  the 
importance  of  right  training  for  the.  mind  can  scarcely 
be  over-estimated;  because  a  mind  full  of  wrong 
ideas  will  hinder  the  soul  from  doing  its  proper  work, 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  17 

just  as  surely  as  filling  the  stomach  with  the  wrong  kind 
of  food  would  hinder  the  work  of  the  body  (Prov.  3: 
13;  Rom.  8:7;  Eph.  4 :23 ;  Phil.  4:8). 

That  which  psychologists  term  the  emotions,  and 
which  the  Bible  usually  speaks  of  as  the  heart,  is  another 
faculty  of  the  soul :  the  power  of  loving  and  hating,  hop- 
ing and  fearing,  sorrowing  and  rejoicing;  how  much  we 
need  guidance  for  the  heart,  that  we  may  love  good  and 
hate  evil,  hope  for  the  triumph  of  right,  and  fear  to  let 
wrong  gain  a  foothold  in  our  lives ;  that  we  may  sorrow 
over  all  sin,  and  rejoice  in  everything  that  is  good.  "Keep 
thy  heart  with  all  diligence,  for  out  of  it  are  the  issues  of 
life,"  says  the  word  (Prov.  4:23),  and  the  only  safe  way 
to  keep  it  |is  to  place  it  in  the  hands  of  Him  who  made  it, 
and  who,  though  it  has  wandered  far  from  Him,  knows 
all  its  needs  (Prov.  3:5;  Ps.  51:10;  Ps.  139:23-24;  Ter. 
17:9). 

The  power  of  willing  and  choosing  is  another  faculty 
of  the  soul  (Josh.  24:15;  John  5:40;  Rev.  22:17),  which 
the  mind  and  heart  share  (Ex.  35:5;  1  Chron.  28:9;  2 
Cor.  8:12).  By  the  use  of  this  power  we  can  determine 
what  kind  of  influences  we  are  going  to  allow  the  pre- 
dominance in  our  lives,  whether  they  are  to  be  good  or 
evil — of  God  or  of  Satan. 

Another  faculty  of  the  soul  is  the  power  of  compre- 
hending things  unseen — of  believing  in  a  God  who  is  in- 
visible to  the  physical  eye — the  power  of  worshipping 
Him,  and  of  govering  our  lives  by  His  laws.  The  soul  is 
often  spoken  of  as  comprising  the  spiritual  faculty  only, 
classing  the  heart  and  mind  separately  (Matt.  22:37-39; 
Acts  4:32). 

Now  the  soul,  in  all  its  departments,  is  united  to  the 
body  in  such  a  way  that,  as  we  have  already  seen,  each 
exercises  control  over  the  other.  We  know  that  the  body 
can  act  upon  the  spirit ;  a  headache  can  prevent  our  think- 
ing clearly;  indigestion  can  make  us  feel  as  though  we 
had  lost  our  last  friend ;  and  even  fatigue  can  become  so 
great  that  it  almost  makes  us  doubt  the  existence  of  God 
(1  Kings  19:5,  10). 


18  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

Conversely,  we  have  seen  that  the  soul  acts  upon  the 
body.  We  know  that  the  will  directs  the  movements  of 
the  body;  that  the  emotions  influence  the  action  of  var- 
ious physical  organs;  anger,  fear,  or  joy,  can  cause  the 
heart  to  accelerate  its  beating ;  can  stop  the  digestive  proc- 
esses ;  can  cause  the  face  to  flush  or  grow  pale ;  these  are 
only  a  few  of  the  results  which  can  be  wrought  by  the 
soul  upon  the  body — some  favorable,  some  unfavorable 
to  its  health. 

For  physiologists  and  psychologists  agree  in  telling  us 
that  many  of  the  bodily  functions  are  controlled  by  the 
mind,  which  has  two  departments,  the  conscious  and  the 
sub-conscious.  With  the  former  we  perceive  and  reason ; 
our  perception  and  thoughts,  long  continued,  sink  into  the 
sub-conscious  realm,  and  form  our  habits  of  life,  when 
we  no  longer  think  about  many  acts,  but  perform  them 
mechanically. 

Over  some  of  the  physical  functions  the  sub-conscious 
mind,  we  might  say,  has  original  jurisdiction;  that  is,  it 
is  not  necessary,  under  normal  conditions,  that  we  think 
of  them  at  all,  for  the  sub-conscious  mind  keeps  them  at 
work  without  any  effort  on  our  part.  But  in  times  of 
excitement,  or  mental  strain,  when  we  are  thinking  very 
intensely,  the  thoughts  of  the  conscious  mind  penetrate 
the  sub-conscious  realm,  and  call  it  from  its  natural  duty. 
Then  the  functions  which  it  controls  become  deranged, 
and  need  help  to  restore  them  to  their  normal  condition. 

Sometimes  this  can  be  accomplished  simply  by  reliev- 
ing the  mental  strain,  either  by  a  change  in  the  circum- 
stances which  caused  it,  or  by  the  entrance  of  some 
thought  which  shall  bring  peace  and  joy  in  spite  of  them 
— such  as  the  realization  of  the  fact  that  God  loves  us, 
and  that  He  will  bring  good  out  of  our  troubles ;  that  He 
sympathizes  with  us  in  our  distress,  and  will  give  us 
strength  to  bear  it  while  it  is  necessary,  and  He  will  give 
us  some  great  blessing  through  the  very  thing  that  is 
causing  our  suffering  now  (Rom.  8:28;  2  Cor.  4:17; 
12:9;  1  Pet.  5:7). 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  19 

If,  however,  the  disordered  functions  do  not  go  back 
to  their  work  when  the  sub-conscious  mind  is  released 
from  the  extra  duty  it  has  been  performing,  then  the  con- 
scious mind,  by  thinking  of  them,  and  trying  to  estab- 
lish normal  conditions,  can  assist  the  sub-conscious  mind 
to  do  its  work,  and  the  physical  derangement  will  disap- 
pear. 

But  sometimes  the  body  refuses  to  respond  to  the  sub- 
conscious mind  as  before,  and  then  the  system  needs  aid 
from  outside  to  restore  it  to  working  order,  and  this  is 
where  the  physician  comes  in,  with  remedies  which  help 
the  body  back  to  harmony  with,  and  obedience  to,  the  sub- 
conscious mind. 

Not  only  excitement  or  trouble,  but  deep  thought,  or 
too  much  study,  can  call  the  sub-conscious  mind  from  its 
work,  and  thus  be  the  cause  of  functional  derangement; 
but  whatever  the  cause,  the  first  step  toward  restoration  is 
releasing  the  mind  from  the  strain,  and  giving  the  sub- 
conscious mind  an  opportunity  to  perform  its  duty. 

This  being  true,  we  can  readily  see  how  obeying  the 
laws  of  God  for  the  spirit  will  help  us  physically.  Ac- 
cepting Christ  as  our  Savior  takes  away  the  fear  of  what 
may  come  after  death,  and  fills  us  with  peace  instead ;  try- 
ing to  please  Him  fills  our  lives  with  objects  worth  Hving 
for,  and  takes  away  the  restlessness  which  is  so  injurious 
to  health ;  faith  in  our  heavenly  Father's  love  takes  away 
the  wearing  anxiety  for  the  future,  which  saps  the  vital- 
ity of  those  who  worry,  and  gives  in  its  place  the  confi- 
dence which  restores  strength  (Heb.  2:15;  John  14:27; 
Matt.  6:25-33;  Isa.  40:31). 

Now,  we  cannot  know  God's  law  without  studying  it, 
and  He  has  repeatedly  told  us  that  we  must  daily  study, 
meditate  upon,  and  practice  its  teachings,  if  we  wish  to 
prosper  and  have  success  (Deut.  6:4-9;  Josh.  1 :8;  Ps.  1 : 
1-3;  John  5:39;  Acts  17-11).  So  our  first  step  in  His 
way  will  be  taken  by  applying  ourselves  to  this  task, 
which  we  shall  soon  come  to  look  upon  not  as  a  duty,  but 
as  our  greatest  pleasure  (Ps.  119:97,  103). 


Chapter  V. 

THE  LAWS  OF  HEALTH. 

While  the  laws  of  health  are  written  in  the  book  of 
nature,  and  have  been  searched  out  and  applied  by  phy- 
siologists and  various  medical  or  other  systems  of  heal- 
ing; and  while  the  book  of  revelation  was  given  for 
another  purpose  than  teaching  these  laws,  yet  it  is  not 
entirely  silent  upon  the  subject,  and  whenever  it  speaks, 
as  has  been  found  in  its  touching  upon  other  scientific 
topics,  it  is  always  correct,  and  in  harmony  with  the  most 
advanced  thought  of  the  times.  Whenever  it  has  been 
accused  of  being  inaccurate,  later  investigations  have 
proved  that  not  the  Bible,  but  science  was  at  fault. 

The  Spirit  of  God  moving  upon  the  waters  to  create 
the  world  (Gen.  1 :2),  and  the  Holy  Ghost  moving  upon 
the  souls  of  men  to  produce  the  Scriptures  (2  Pet.  1 :21), 
are  one  and  the  same,  and  therefore  His  word  in  both 
agrees,  for  He  is  the  Spirit  of  truth,  and  speaks  the 
truth  (John  14:16-18). 

The  Bible  recognizes  all  the  needs  of  the  human  body, 
and  gives  instances  of  God's  provision  for  them. 

The  first  indication  of  life  in  the  body,  is  breathing; 
when  breathing  ceases,  life  is  gone.  God  has  adapted  the 
lungs  to  the  air,  and  the  air  to  the  lungs,  and  sets  them 
working  together  (Gen.  2:7;  Acts  17:25).  But  we  can 
poison  the  air,  and  thus  injure  our  lungs,  and  through 
them  our  whole  bodies  (1  Cor.  12:26)  ;  sometimes  this  is 
done  through  necessity,  as  in  chemical  work,  where  nox- 
ious gases  are  formed,  which  harm  those  engaged  in  such 
labor,  and  from  which  scientists  are  trying  to  find  means 
of  protection. 

Many  persons,  especially  men,  poison  the  air  through 
tobacco  smoke,  which  they  use  as  a  pleasure,  forgetting 
that  they  are  not  only  injuring  their  own  bodies,  but  also 
poisoning  the  air  which  others  must  breathe,  and  causing 
suffering  to  them ;  many  girls,  as  well  as  men  who  do  not 


22  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

use  tobacco,  are  seriously  affected  by  being  compelled  to 
share  the  atmosphere  which  their  employers  or  fellow- 
employees  have  poisoned  with  the  smoke  of  pipes,  cigars, 
or  cigarettes,  and  the  families  of  tobacco  users  are  like- 
wise victims  of  disease  caused  by  those  who  profess  to 
love  them  dearly,  but  who  seem  after  all,  to  love  tobacco 
better. 

We  can  cause  ourselves  needless  illness  by  shutting 
ourselves  in  rooms  without  sufficient  air,  or  with  no  ven- 
tilation ;  the  air  we  breathe  becomes  charged  with  car- 
bonic acid,  and  robbed  of  its  oxygen,  and  needs  to  be 
exchanged  for  fresh  air,  therefore  we  must  have  open 
windows  or  doors  through  which  a  fresh  supply  may 
come  (Gen.  6:16). 

Yet  we  need  not  go  to  the  extreme  of  having  the  cir- 
culation of  air  so  strong  that  it  chills  us ;  fresh  air  is  not 
necessarily  cold,  nor  need  it  create  a  draught.  Those 
who  have  low  vitality  or  weak  constitutions  should  pro- 
tect themselves  from  these  things,  not  gauging  them- 
selves by  standards  set  up  by  those  who  have  strong 
constitutions  and  abundant  vitality. 

The  manner  of  our  breathing  is  also  important ;  many 
of  our  ills  come  from  using  only  a  limited  portion  of  our 
breathing  apparatus,  and  therefore  obtaining  too  small 
a  supply  of  the  oxygen  which  is  needed  for  purifying  the 
blood.  We  must  learn  to  breathe  deeply,  and  the  women 
should  keep  their  clothing  loose  enough  so  that  there  will 
be  no  obstruction  to  the  free  use  of  the  lower,  as  well  as 
the  upper  part  of  the  lungs. 

The  second  need  of  the  body  seems  to  be  for  food, 
and  when  God  placed  Adam  in  the  Garden  of  Eden,  He 
supplied  this  need  (Gen.  2:16).  He  provided  food  for 
the  IsraeHtes  in  the  wilderness  (Ex.  16:10-16)  ;  for  Noah 
and  his  family  (Gen.  9:1-3)  ;  for  Elijah  (1  Kings  17:2- 
6;  7-16;  19:4-8),  and  for  others,  both  in  natural  and  mir- 
aculous manner,  showing  that  He  regards  our  need  of 
food  as  of  great  importance. 

That  there  is  a  difference  in  the  quality  of  food  and 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  23 

drink,  is  another  fact  given  recognition,  and  we  find  that 
God  not  only  made  provision  that  the  suppHes  of  the  Isra- 
elites should  have  proper  qualities,  but  that  He  also  gave 
them  instructions  for  the  use  of  animal  food,  all  of  which 
were  well  suited  to  the  climate  in  which  they  lived,  and 
many  of  which,  for  sanitary  reasons,  apply  at  all  times 
and  in  all  places  (Ex.  15:23-24;  2  Kings  2:19-22;  4:38- 
41;  Lev.  11:1-47). 

Regularity  in  partaking  of  food  is  another  necessity 
if  we  wish  to  have  good  health ;  a  certain  quantity  of  the 
manna  was  measured  out  for  each  person,  during  the 
journeying  of  the  Israelites  (Ex.  16:18).  They  were  not 
expected  to  gorge  one  day  and  fast  another. 

Abstinence  from  food  is  recognized  as  abnormal  (1 
Sam.  28:22;  Mark  6:31),  and  that  it  is  best  for  people  to 
eat  at  the  accustomed  time,  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that 
Jesus  would  not  send  His  congregation  home  supperless 
(John  6:5-11);  again,  after  the  resurrection  He  fur- 
nished His  disciples  with  a  morning  meal  (John  21 :4- 
14).  Peter  was  hungry  at  midday,  when  his  dinner  seems 
to  have  been  somewhat  delayed  (Acts  10:9-10);  so  we 
see  that  three  meals  a  day  have  been  customary  for  many 
centuries,  and  most  physiologists  and  physicians  agree 
that  it  is  a  sensible  custom  to  divide  the  necessary  amount 
of  food  to  support  life  into  three  portions,  rather  than 
eat  it  all  at  once. 

Some  are  advocating  two  meals  a  day  now,  saying 
that  many  of  us  over-eat,  and  consume  enough  to  amply 
sustain  us,  in  two  meals  a  day.  We  should  find  by  experi- 
ence the  proper  amount  of  food  for  ourselves,  and 
divide  it  into  as  many  meals  as  we  find  agreeable  to  our 
own  ^  digestive  organs,  whether  two  or  three  average 
meals,  or  with  delicate  persons  and  children,  four  or  five 
lighter  meals  a  day,  always  to  be  taken  at  the  same  hours. 

Water  is  another  primary  need  of  the  body ;  instances 
of  God's  recognition  of  and  provision  for  this  need  are 
found  in  the  history  of  Hagar  (Gen.  21 :14-19)  ;  in  the 
journeyings  of  the  Israelites  (Ex.  15:23-25;  Num.  20:7- 
11)  ;  and  in  Elijah's  experience  (1  Kings  17:6). 


24  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

The  use  of  intoxicating  drinks  is  recognized  as  an 
evil,  and  warnings  against  them  are  given  (Lev.  10:9-10; 
Prov.  20:1;  23:29-33;  Eph.  5:18).  Simple  foods  and 
no  stimulants  are  better  than  rich  foods  and  intoxicants 
(Dan.  1 :8-20).  Most  of  us  would  be  benefitted  by  drink- 
ing more  freely  of  pure  water,  preferably  between  meals. 

Clothing,  though  not  originally  a  human  need,  became 
one,  and  God  has  made  provision  for  this,  also  (Gen. 
3:21;  Matt.  6:28-30). 

Exercise  is  necessary  to  health,  and  God  provided 
this  by  giving  Adam  some  work  to  do — taking  care  of  the 
garden  in  which  he  was  placed  (Gen.  2:15). 

Rest  is  one  of  the  great  needs  of  the  body,  and  God 
made  provision  for  this  by  the  darkness  of  night,  in 
which  nature  compels  us  to  cease  from  labor  (Gen.  1 :3- 
5 ;  John  9:4).  He  has  further  set  aside  one  day  in  seven, 
in  which  man  is  to  cease  from  labor,  and  turn  his 
thoughts  to  the  things  of  God,  that  in  body  and  spirit  he 
may  store  up  strength  for  the  duties  of  another  week 
(Ex.  20:8-11). 

No  law  of  health  is  so  much  broken  in  our  time,  as 
this  law  of  rest,  especially  in  America.  Electricity  enables 
us  to  turn  night  into  day,  and  we  violate  the  laws 
of  God  by  working  far  into  the  night  (whether  at  useful 
labor  or  in  the  pursuit  of  pleasure  makes  little  difference 
so  far  as  the  physical  effect  is  concerned,  except  that  some 
forms  of  pleasure  are  more  strenuous  and  more  harm- 
ful than  work)  ;  thus,  instead  of  recuperating  from  the 
effects  of  one  day's  work  before  that  of  another  begins, 
we  are  drawing  upon  our  reserve  force,  which  is  the 
power  that  defends  us  from  disease,  and  we  go  down  at 
the  first  onslaught  of  the  germs  that  creep  in  at  some 
unguarded  spot. 

The  Sabbath,  too,  is  almost  disregarded  as  a  day  of 
rest;  whatever  we  may  think  of  the  duty  of  worship  on 
that  day,  for  our  own  sakes  we  should  not  turn  it  into  a 
day  of  pleasure-seeking,  from  which  we  return  exhaust- 
ed.   The  pleasure  of  a  trip  to  beach  or  mountain,  river 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  25 

or  lake,  or  of  the  visit  to  friends,  is  dearly  bought  when 
we  consider  the  wasted  opportunity  of  restoring  vitality 
to  its  normal  height. 

Sabbath  breaking  is  a  sin  which  brings  its  own  pun- 
ishment to  our  nation ;  in  nervous  prostration,  dyspepsia, 
heart-failure,  and  a  multitude  of  other  diseases  due  to 
the  over-taxing  of  our  bodies,  we  are  paying  the  pen- 
alty for  violation  of  God's  law  of  rest. 

Nature  demands  rest,  and  if  we  do  not  give  it  will- 
ingly, she  takes  it  by  force.  If  we  insist  upon  exerting 
ourselves  to  the  limit  of  our  endurance  each  day,  instead 
of  taking  the  amount  of  rest  the  system  requires,  we  are 
sooner  or  later  thrown  upon  a  sick-bed,  where  the  time 
we  think  we  have  saved  by  our  over-work,  is  taken  back, 
with  interest. 

Especially  upon  those  who  are  not  strong,  should  be 
urged  the  duty  of  observing  the  law  of  rest — daily  and 
weekly.  Many  persons  require  more  than  the  normal 
eight  hours  rest  of  the  night.  The  difference  between  a 
life  of  misery  and  a  life  of  comfort,  may  often  be  made 
by  an  hour  or  two  of  rest  every  afternoon. 

There  are  many  persons  who  need  a  course  of  les- 
sons on  "How  to  Rest."  Have  you  ever  heard  anyone 
say,  when  advised  to  lie  down  and  rest,  "O,  it  never  does 
me  any  good  to  lie  down ;  I  always  feel  worse  when  I  get 
up  than  I  did  before?"  Quite  true;  but  if  you  should 
see  how  this  person  does  the  supposed  resting,  you 
would  not  be  surprised  at  the  failure  to  be  helped  by  it; 
he  or  she  (usually  she)  lies  down  on  the  couch  or  bed, 
with  muscles  drawn  as  tight  as  a  drum-head ;  not  the  least 
relaxation  of  the  body,  and  with  a  mind  racing  along  in 
its  thoughts  of  something  that  ought  to  be  done,  and  its 
desire  to  do  it  just  as  soon  as  possible. 

My  friends,  don't  say  you  have  tried  resting,  if  this  is 
what  you  have  been  calling  rest.  Try  real  resting  before 
you  pronounce  it  worthless;  if  possible,  get  into  some 
loose  garment — but  whether  you  do  that,  or  not — relax; 
let  go  your  hold  upon  yourself ;  try  to  act  just  as  though 


26  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

it  were  night,  and  you  were  going  to  sleep;  and  relax 
your  mind,  equally  with  your  body;  just  drop  the 
thoughts  of  the  things  clamoring  to  be  done,  for  when 
you  have  rested  the  work  will  go  on  so  much  better  than 
before.  When  you  have  once  learned  to  rest,  you  will 
seize  every  opportunity  to  fit  yourself  for  your  work  by 
storing  up  energy  to  do  it  quickly  and  well. 

Cleanliness  and  sanitation,  which  are  so  important 
in  the  preservation  of  health  and  prevention  of  disease, 
are  clearly  taught  in  the  Bible  (Ex.  19:10;  Lev.  13:14- 
15;  Deut.  23:12-14).  Moral  purity,  which  is  even  more 
necessary,  is  strictly  enjoined  in  the  Mosaic  law  (Ex.  20: 
14;  21  :7-10;  22-16;  Leviticus,  chapters  18  and  20;  Deut. 
22 :22-30)  ;  and  it  is  emphasized  in  the  New  Testament 
(Matt.  5:27-32;  1  Cor.  6:9-10;  Gal.  5:16;  Eph.  5:3). 

The  last,  but  by  no  means  least  important,  law  of 
health,  is  peace-seeking ;  the  Psalmist  tells  us  that  control 
of  the  tongue,  and  doing  good  rather  than  evil,  will  bring 
peace,  and  thus  help  to  prolong  life,  as  well  as  make  it 
more  enjoyable  (Ps.  34:12-14). 

A  perturbed  state  of  mind  is  a  great  hindrance  to 
recovery  from  sickness,a  great  factor  in  producing  dis- 
ease, and  what  causes  more  disturbance  of  mind  in  our- 
selves and  others,  than  a  wrong  use  of  the  tongue  ?  For 
our  own  sakes,  as  well  as  the  sake  of  others,  we  should 
join  in  the  prayer  of  David:  "Set  a  watch,  O  Lord, 
before  my  mouth;  keep  the  door  of  my  lips"  (Ps.  141 :3). 
The  best  watchman  at  the  door  of  the  lips,  is  love — let 
us  ask  God  to  put  it  into  our  hearts,  so  that  the  words 
which  issue  from  our  tongues  and  mouths  through  our 
lips,  may  be  kind  instead  of  critical,  charitable  instead  of 
cruel. 

Deeds,  as  well  as  words,  can  produce  discord;  often 
acts  perfectly  harmless  in  themselves,  will  rouse  others 
to  anger ;  we  should  avoid  giving  offense  to  others  by  our 
actions,  even  at  the  cost  of  self-sacrifice ;  the  peace  pro- 
cured by  giving  up  our  own  way  will  be  well  worth  the 
price. 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  27 

The  Bible  tells  us  that  it  is  God  who  heals  all  our  dis- 
eases (Ps.  103:2-3),  and  science  testifies  to  the  truth  of 
this  word;  that  He  has  put  within  us  a  healing  power, 
which  strives  to  overcome  disease  or  injury,  and  often 
does  so  without  any  assistance  from  the  outside;  but 
often  our  power  of  resistance  is  impaired,  and  disease 
would  gain  the  victory  if  we  could  not  receive  help  from 
some  source ;  it  is  the  province  of  medicine  to  supply  the 
assistance  which  nature  requires  (2  Kings  20:7;  Luke 
10:33-34). 

Now,  does  this  conflict  with  the  idea  that  God  is  the 
healer  ?  Not  at  all,  for  it  is  He  who  supplies  the  healing 
agency,  whether  it  comes  from  within  or  without,  natur- 
ally or  miraculously.  He  alone  has  power  to  restore 
health,  and  therefore  we  should  always  look  to  Him  for 
help  first  of  all,  and  if  it  is  best  for  us.  He  will  restore  us 
either  through  the  power  within  us,  or  by  showing  us 
where  to  go  for  the  healing  from  without. 

We  must  not  expect,  however,  that  God  will  do  for  us 
what  we  ought  to  do  for  ourselves ;  we  can  not  expect  to 
go  on  disregarding  these  laws  of  health  which  we  have 
been  studying,  and  then  have  Him  work  a  miracle  to  over- 
come the  effects  of  our  disobedience;  neither  can  we 
expect  Him  to  cure  us  through  the  physician  and  medicine, 
unless  we  do  our  part  by  taking  care  of  ourselves  in  the 
manner  which  He  has  directed :  By  the  use  of  pure  air 
and  sunshine ;  by  cleanliness  of  person  and  surroundings ; 
by  moral  purity;  by  clothing  sufficient  for  comfort;  by 
rest  for  body  and  mind ;  by  the  use  of  pure  food  and  water 
in  sufficient  quantity;  and  by  the  peaceable  life  which 
comes  from  controlling  the  tongue  with  love. 

Most  of  us  who  have  poor  health,  have  not  ruined  it 
beyond  repair,  and  even  though  we  may  have  weak  con- 
stitutions to  build  upon,  if  we  observe  these  laws  we  shall 
find  ourselves  able  to  live  more  comfortably,  and  to  ac- 
complish far  more  in  the  world,  than  we  would  have 
thought  possible. 


Chapter  VI. 


PRAYER. 


"More  things  are  wrought  by  prayer  than  the  world 
dreams  of,"  says  Tennyson.  "The  effectual  fervent 
prayer  of  a  righteous  man  availeth  much,"  we  are  told  by 
the  apostle  James,  and  he  cites  two  instances  from  the 
life  of  Elijah  in  support  of  this  statement:  the  prophet 
prayed  that  it  might  not  rain,  and  it  did  not  rain  for  three 
years;  then  he  prayed  for  rain  to  fall,  and  immediately 
the  clouds  began  to  form,  and  soon  the  earth  was 
drenched  in  response  to  his  prayer  (1  Kings  17:1 ;  18:41- 
45;  Jas.  5:16-18). 

All  through  the  Bible,  we  have  illustrations  of  the 
same  fact.  Moses,  and  Joshua,  and  Samuel,  David,  and 
Hezekiah,  and  Daniel,  Peter,  and  John,  and  Paul,  with 
others  too  numerous  to  mention,  all  prayed  time  after 
time,  and  time  after  time  were  saved  from  peril,  tri- 
umphed over  enemies,  and  overcame  obstacles  insuper- 
able to  human  strength  or  skill. 

Now  what  is  prayer,  the  medium  by  which  so  many 
wonders  have  been  wrought?  One  of  our  well  known 
hymns  tells  us, 

"Prayer  is  the  soul's  sincere  desire, 

Uttered  or  unexpressed; 
The  motion  of  a  hidden  fire 

That  burns  within  the  breast." 
This  desire  reaches  out  after  God,  and  always  finds  Him 
(Matt.  7:7-8;  Luke  11-13).  The  first  step  to  salvation, 
(Luke  18:13;  Acts  9:6),  the  first  evidence  of  the  Chris- 
tian life  (Acts  9:11),  the  greatest  protection  against  sin 
(Eph.  6:18),  is  prayer. 

Many  persons  start  out  in  life  believing  in  prayer,  but 
later  say  that  they  have  lost  faith  in  it,  because  some  of 
their  prayers  were  not  answered — that  is,  they  did  not 
receive  every  gift  and  blessing  for  which  they  asked. 
Others,  with  the  same  experience  of  failing  to  receive 
some  things  for  which  they  have  earnestly  prayed,  instead 
of  losing  faith  in  prayer,  have  made  a  closer  study  of  its 
nature,  purpose,  and  laws,  and  have  come  out  with  firm- 


30  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

er  faith,  as  well  as  increased  knowledge  and  love  for  God. 

With  a  change  in  one  word,  Victor  Hugo's  definition 
of  prayer  becomes  correct  and  complete :  "To  place,"  by- 
process  of  thought,  the  finite  below  in  contact  with  the 
infinite  above,  is  prayer." 

There  are  some  who  now  tell  us  that  prayer  is  not  nec- 
essary nor  desirable,  quoting  in  support  of  this  teaching 
the  words  of  Christ,  "For  your  heavenly  Father  knoweth 
what  things  ye  have  need  of,  before  ye  ask  Him"  (Matt. 
6:8).  These  persons  evidently  forget  that  immediately 
after  making  this  statement,  Christ  gave  the  disciples  the 
model  prayer  which  we  know  as  the  Lord's  Prayer 
(Matt.  6:9-13)  ;  that  to  their  knowledge  He  often  went 
away  to  pray  alone  (Matt.  14:23;  Mark  6:46;  Luke  22: 
39-41)  ;  that  He  frequently  prayed  in  their  presence, 
sometimes  silently,  sometimes  audibly  (Matt.  11:25; 
Luke  9:28-29;  John  11:41-42;  17:1-26);  and  that  He 
specifically  commanded  them  to  pray,  and  instructed  them 
as  to  the  manner  in  which  they  should  pray  (Matt.  6:5- 
13;  9:38;  26:41;  Luke  11:5-10;  18:1-14). 

God  does  know  our  needs,  and  His  power  is  always 
ready  for  us,  but  the  "finite  below"  must  come  into  con- 
tact with  "the  infinite  above"  if  we  wish  to  receive  its 
blessing.  Our  homes  may  be  connected  with  the  electric 
lighting  plant,  and  the  company  may  know  that  we  need 
light,  but  we  ourselves  must  press  the  button  or  turn  the 
switch  which  lets  the  current  into  our  lamps,  and  floods 
our  homes  with  light.  Prayer  is  the  switch  that  enables 
us  to  bring  the  power  of  God  into  our  lives,  and  illum- 
inate them. 

Parents  know  the  needs  of  their  children,  yet  thej- 
would  not  bei  satisfied  to  have  their  boys  and  girls  not 
realize  their  own  needs,  and  not  talk  about  them  with 
father  and  mother.  Food  and  clothing,  and  education 
are  not  rightly  appreciated,  and  not  used  to  the  best 
advantage,  until  the  children  realize  their  need  of  them, 
and  desire  them  enough  to  ask  for  them.  So  God,  though 
He  knows  our  needs,  and  supplies  many  of  them  without 
being  asked,  yet  wants  us  to  realize  our  own  needs  enough 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  31 

to  come  to  Him  with  requests  in  regard  to  them,  for  only 
then  will  we  be  able  to  appreciate  what  He  gives  us  as  we 
ought  (Isa.  55  :6;  Luke  11 :9-13). 

But  prayer  is  more  than  mere' asking  God  to  supply 
our  needs  and  fulfill  our  desires.  As  parents  want  com- 
panionship with  their  children,  to  hear  their  plans  and 
their  confidences,  to  receive  their  thanks  as  well  as  their 
requests,  so  God  wants  companionship  with  His  children 
— wants  us  to  tell  Him  our  joys  and  our  sorrows,  our 
hopes  and  our  fears,  and  our  thanks  for  what  He  has 
given,  as  well  as  requests  for  new  gifts  (Ps.  107:1-8; 
Dan.  6:10;  Phil.  4:6).  The  child  who  makes  a  confidant 
of  a  good  father  or  mother,  will  never  be  found  in  the 
paths  of  evil;  neither  will  the  Christian  who  makes  a 
confidant  of  God  ever  go  astray. 

The  Bible  is  a  text-book  on  prayer.  It  tells  us  when 
to  pray;  we  are  to  pray  when  troubled,  to  pray  when 
we  are  happy,  pray  when  tempted,  pray  at  all  times  and 
under  all  circumstances  (1  Chron.  29:9-19;  Ps.  50:15; 
Matt.  26:41;  Luke  18:1;  Eph.  6:18;  I  Thess,  5:17,  25). 

The  Bible  also  tells  us  how  to  pray.  We  are  to  pray 
alone  (Neh.  1:4;  Matt.  6:6),  to  pray  with  others  priv- 
ately (Dan.  2:17-18;  Matt.  18:19-20),  and  to  pray  with 
others  publicly  (2  Chron.  6:12-42;  Ezra  9:4-11 ;  Isa.  56: 
7;  Luke  1 :  10;  Acts  4:24-31). 

The  conditions  of  prevailing  prayer  are  clearly  set 
forth  for  us.  If  we  want  to  have  our  prayers  answered, 
we  must  fulfill  the  conditions,  some  of  which  are  inward, 
some  outward  as  well  as  within. 

Our  requests  must  be  proffered  with  humility;  not 
according  to  our  deserving,  but  only  according  to  God's 
mercy,  can  we  receive  blessings  from  Him  (Gen.  18:27, 
30,  32;  1  Chron.  29:10-15;  Ps.  51:17;  Luke  7:6-7;  18: 
9-14). 

Disobedient  children  can  not  expect  to  have  all  their 
wishes  granted ;  so  if  we  want  to  receive  what  we  ask  of 
God,  we  must  be  obedient  to  him  (Ps.  66:18;  Isa.  1 :15; 
59:1;  Jer.  14:10-12;  John  9:31). 


32  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

Our  prayers  must  be  unselfish  (Ex.  32:31-34;  Neh. 
1:6;  John  17:20;  Eph.  1 :15-17;  2  Thess.  1:11-12;  I  Tim. 
2:1-2;  Jas.  4:3).  They  must  be  earnest  (Josh.  7:6;  2 
Chron.  6:19-21,  40;  Neh.  1:8,  11;  Dan.  9:3;  Luke  22: 
41-44).  They  must  be  sincere  (Ps.  145:18;  Isa.  1:13- 
17;  Matt.  6:7-8;  1  Tim.  2-8).  They  must  come  from  a 
thankful  heart  (1  Chron.  29:13;  Ps.  56:12-13;  116:16- 
17;  Matt.  11:25-26;  John  11:41-42;  Eph.  1:15-16;  Phil. 
4:6-7). 

As  the  requests  of  children  are  always  subject  to  the 
will  of  the  parents,  because  of  their  superior  wisdom,  so 
our  petitions  must  be  made  in  the  spirit  of  submission  to 
our  heavenly  Father,  who  knows  better  than  we  what  is 
best  for  us  and  for  others  (2  Sam.  24:14;  Matt.  6:10; 
26:39,42,44;!  John  5:14-15). 

We  must  have  fellowship  with  God  in  order  to  prevail 
in  prayer  (Ps.  91 :1,  14-15  ;  John  15  :7).  If  we  are  out  of 
harmony  with  God,  our  prayer  will  often  be  for  wrong 
things,  and  then  our  petitions  must  be  refused  (Isa.  59: 
l;Matt.  12:38-40). 

Our  prayers  must  be  confident,  from  hearts  full  of 
faith  in  God's  ability  and  wilHngness  to  help  us  (1 
Kings  18:42-44;  2  Chron.  14:11 ;  Matt.  9:18,  23-26;  21 : 
22;  Luke  7:7-9;  Jas.  1:5-7). 

We  must  remember  God's  promises,  and  base  our 
pleas  upon  them  (Ex.  33:12-14;  Num.  14:17-19;  2 
Chron.  6:16-17;  Neh.  1:8-9;  Isa.  43:26;  Acts  4:24-31). 
We  must  persevere  in  prayer,  not  being  discouraged  if  the 
answer  is  delayed  for  some  time  (Ps.  55:17;  Dan.  6:  10; 
Matt.  15:21-28;  Luke  18:1-8;  Rom.  12:12;  Eph.  6:18; 
1  Thess.  5:17). 

We  must  forgive  others  as  we  wish  to  be  forgiven,  if 
we  want  God  to  answer  our  prayers  (Matt.  6:12,  14-15; 
Mark  11 :25-26;  Luke  23:33-34;  Acts  7:60). 

Our  chief  desire  must  be  for  the  glory  of  God,  if  we 
want  our  petitions  granted  (Num.  14:13-17;  1  Kings  18: 
36-37;  Ps.  43:3-4;  Isa.  37:14-20;  John  11:42;  14-13; 
Acts  4:29-31). 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  33 

Our  requests  must  be  brought  in  the  name  of  Christ 
(John  14:13-14;  15:16;  16:23-24;  Eph.  4:14-19),  and 
we  must  have  the  holy  Spirit  to  plead  with  and  for  us 
(Zech.  12:10;  Rom.  8:26;  Eph.  6:18). 

One  reason  why  some  persons  have  little  faith  in  the 
power  of  prayer,  is  because  God  does  not  always  answer 
our  prayers  in  just  the  way  we  expect,  and  we  some- 
times fail  to  recognize  the  answer  when  it  comes.  Moses 
asked  to  see  the  glory  of  God,  and  was  given  only  a  par- 
tial revelation  (Ex.  33:17-23).  The  Israelites  asked  God 
to  remove  the  fiery  serpents.  He  did  not  remove  the  ser- 
pents, but  provided  a  remedy  for  those  who  were  bitten 
(Num.  21:4-9).  The  remnant  left  in  Palestine  at  the 
time  of  the  captivity  asked  Jeremiah  to  pray  for  them  for 
direction  from  God ;  the  counsel  God  gave  was  contrary 
to  their  desires,  and  they  disobeyed  it  (Jer.  42:1-6;  7-10, 
19-22).  The  Samaritan  woman  asked  for  the  water  of 
which  Jesus  spoke,  thinking  it  would  be  a  labor-saving 
device  for  her.  Jesus  answered  her  prayer  by  giving  her 
the  spiritual  water  which  cleansed  her  life  from  sin,  and 
made  her  a  pure  woman  (John  4:15-30). 

We  sometimes  forget  that  a  negative  answer  is  just 
as  much  an  answer  as  a  positive  one.  While  children 
may  feel  and  act  rebellious  when  their  parents  refuse  to 
grant  some  requests,  they  at  least  do  not  accuse  the  par- 
ents of  not  answering,  as  we  often  unjustly  do  our  heav- 
enly Father.  "No"  is  just  as  much  an  answer  as  "Yes," 
and  when  we  have  fulfilled  the  conditions  mentioned,  yet 
God  says  "No,"  we  may  rest  assured  that  what  we  ask 
would  not  be  best  for  us,  or  He  would  grant  it.  "No  good 
thing  will  He  withhold  from  them  that  walk  uprightly" 
(Ps.  84:11). 

David  prayed  that  his  child  might  not  die,  but  God 
took  the  child,  and  David  did  not  say  that  God  had  not 
answered  him  (2  Sam.  12:15-23).  Paul  prayed  for  de- 
liverance from  a  trouble  which  he  calls  "a  thorn  in  the 
flesh."  God  did  not  remove  the  trouble,  but  promised 
him  grace  to  bear  it  (2  Cor.  12 :7-9),  and  Paul  rejoiced  as 


34  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

much  as  if  it  had  been  removed  (2  Cor.  12:10).  Even 
Christ  had  one  prayer  not  granted.  He  wanted  the  cup  of 
suffering  removed,  but  God  gave  Him  strength  to  drink 
it  to  the  dregs,  and  thus  to  win  salvation  for  a  lost  world 
(Luke  22:41-43). 

One  fact  which  we  notice  in  studying  the  prayers  re- 
corded in  the  Bible,  is  that  those  who  prayed  not  only  ex- 
pected answers,  but  were  watching  for  them  (Judges  6: 
16-21 ;  35-40 ;  1  Kings  18 :41-45  ;  2  Kings  2 :1-14 ;  2  Chron. 
20:1-4;  14-17;  20-23;  Matt.  8:5-13;  Mark  2:1-12;  Acts 
9:36-40). 

We  often  receive  answers  to  our  prayers,  but  fail  to 
recognize  them,  because  we  have  not  been  watching  for 
them;  sometimes  they  come  sooner  than  we  expected; 
sometimes  they  are  long  delayed,  and  we  have  given  up 
hope  of  having  our  desires  granted;  and  sometimes,  as 
has  been  said  before,  they  come  in  a  different  way  than 
we  expected;  and  sometimes  the  answer  is  "no"  instead 
of  "yes,"  but  if  we  will  learn  to  watch  for  God's  re- 
sponse, we  will  find  that  He  never  fails  to  answer  prayer, 
except  when  the  conditions  have  not  been  complied  with, 
and  He  has  told  us  plainly  that  He  will  not  do  that;  so 
He  has  never  broken  any  of  His  promises,  and  we  can 
rest  upon  them  with  the  assurance  that  we  will  receive 
their  blessings,  if  we  only  do  our  part. 

There  is  nothing  more  vitally  important  to  health, 
than  learning  to  pray  aright.  Prayer  brings  us  into  touch 
with  God,  leads  us  to  cast  all  our  cares  upon  Him,  and 
find  the  rest  of  spirit  without  which  it  is  impossible  to 
enjoy  real  physical  rest.  Often  when  we  have  been  unwise 
enough  to  tire  our  bodies  so  much  that  sleep  refuses  to 
come  to  our  weary  eyelids,  or  when  sickness,  or  pain,  or 
grief,  is  keeping  us  awake,  though  we  may  not  fall  asleep 
for  hours,  perhaps  not  all  through  the  night,  yet  by  prayer 
and  meditation  upon  the  promises  of  God,  we  can  keep 
calm,  and  lie  quietly  resting,  instead  of  tossing  about  and 
worrying  because  sleep  does  not  come. 

All  the  bodily  functions  will  work  better,  if  we  con- 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  35 

fide  our  troubles  to  God,  instead  of  eating  out  our  hearts 
with  worry  over  them.  The  best  medicine  for  the  nerves, 
the  best  tonic  for  the  heart,  is  prayer.  Sometimes  it 
makes  the  physician  unnecessary,  but  even  when  we  must 
call  in  medical  aid,  the  remedies  brought  by  the  doctor  will 
act  far  more  quickly  and  satisfactorily  upon  one  who  con- 
stantly makes  use  of  prayer,  than  upon  those  who  do  not 
pray. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  should  we  not  all  say,  as  the 
disciples  did,  "Lord,  teach  us  to  pray,"  and  then  study  the 
lessons  on  prayer  given  in  His  word,  and  practice  them 
until  we  can  offer  "the  effectual  fervent  prayer  of  a  right- 
eous man,"  which  "availeth  much?"  (Jas.  5;16). 


Chapter  VII. 

THE  CHARACTER  OF  GOD. 

The  works  of  God  give  us  much  evidence  concerning 
His  character,  for  they  correspond  with  the  nature  of 
Him  who  created  them.  In  them  we  see  that  He  is  a  be- 
ing of  great  power,  for  only  such  a  being  could  have  cre- 
ated the  mighty  ocean,  the  great  rivers  which  empty  into 
its  bosom,  the  towering  mountains,  and  the  vast  domains 
of  desert  and  prairie,  upon  the  earth,  as  well  as  the 
greater  planetary  system  of  which  our  world  is  but  a 
small  part. 

In  them  we  see  also,  that  the  Creator,  though  so  pow- 
erful, is  gentle ;  for  He  has  hidden  the  violet  in  the  forest ; 
the  little  birds  He  makes  to  nest  among  the  foliage ;  little 
brooks  flow  quietly  through  peaceful  valleys,  and  wild 
flowers  blossom  unmolested  along  their  borders. 

The  works  of  God  teach  us  that  He  is  wise,  for  every- 
thing that  He  has  made  is  wonderfully  adapted  to  its  pur- 
pose; and  only  infinite  wisdom  could  plan,  create,  and 
superintend  the  complex  organism  of  a  single  human 
body,  to  say  nothing  of  the  universe,  and  the  manifold 
forms  of  life  with  which  it  teems. 

Surely,  as  we  look  up  into  the  starry  sky,  whether 
we  are  altogether  ignorant  of  astronomy,  or  have  become 
deeply  versed  in  its  lore,  we  can  say,  "The  heavens  de- 
clare the  glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament  showeth  His 
handiwork"  (Ps.  19 :1)  ;  and  whether  we  are  well  ground- 
ed in  the  sciences  which  have  grown  out  of  man's  study 
of  the  earth,  or  have  learned  but  little  in  regard  to  them, 
the  mere  sight  of  the  beauties  of  nature  moves  us  to  say 
with  the  Psalmist,  "O  Lord,  how  manifold  are  Thy 
works!  In  wisdom  hast  Thou  made  them  all."  (Ps. 
104:24). 

Yet,  after  all  has  been  said  about  what  we  learn  con- 
cerning our  Maker  through  His  works,  our  knowledge  of 
Him  is  still  very  imperfect,  and  again  we  must  turn  to 


38  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

"the  book  He  has  given"  for  a  more  complete  revelation 
of  His  character. 

Many  things  which  we  see  in  nature  are  only  a  puz- 
zle to  us,  until  viewed  through  the  medium  of  the  word 
of  God,  and  yet  other,  and  more  important  truths,  we 
could  never  learn  at  all  without  the  Bible. 

Only  a  brief  outline  of  the  facts  concerning  God's 
character  can  be  given  here.  If  we  were  to  undertake  a 
thorough  treatment  of  this  subject,  it  alone  would  require 
a  large  volume,  instead  of  a  single  chapter  of  a  little  book. 

"The  Spirit  of  God  moved  upon  the  face  of  the 
waters,"  we  are  told  in  the  account  of  the  creation  (Gen. 
1:2),  and  Christ  gives  His  testimony  that  "God  is  a 
Spirit,  and  they  that  worship  Him  must  worship  Him  in 
spirit  and  in  truth"  (John  4:24).  The  facts  which  we 
learn  about  Him  from  nature  are  corroborated  by  His 
word,  which  tells  us  that  He  is  omnipotent  (Gen.  17:1; 
Ex.  6:3),  gracious  (Ex.  34:6),  merciful  (Ps.  116:5), 
wise  (Ex.  4:11-12;  Prov.  3:19;  Rom.  11:33),  and  glor- 
ious (Isa.  6:1-3;  Rev.  21 :23). 

The  Scriptures  are  rich  in  additional  information  con- 
cerning the  character  of  God,  but  from  this  abundant 
material  we  select  just  a  little  here,  leaving  the  reader  to 
study  it  in  its  entirety  directly  from  the  Bible. 

A  few  of  His  characteristics  are  these:  God  is  om- 
niscient, as  well  as  omnipotent  (Ps.  139:1-6)  ;  He  is  om- 
nipresent (Ps.  139:7;  Jer.  23:23;  Acts  17:27)  ;  holy  (Ps. 
99:9;  Isa.  5:16;  Rev.  4:8)  ;  just  (Gen.  18:  19;  Ps.  7:8- 
11 ;  Rev.  15:3)  ;  merciful  (Ex.  34:6-7;  Ps.  86:5). 

Last  of  all.  His  character  is  summed  up  for  us  in 
three  words— "God  is  love"  (1  John  4:8,  16). 

Since  God  is  Spirit,  in  the  minds  of  many  persons 
there  has  been  perplexity  and  confusion  in  regard  to  His 
nature.  Personality  in  our  minds  is  so  closely  associat- 
ed with  its  bodily  manifestation,  that  it  is  hard  for  us  to 
realize  that  the  embodiment  is  not  necessary  to  person- 
ality, which  is  really  of  the  spirit,  rather  than  of  the  flesh. 

We  can  illustrate  this  truth  by  a  familiar  fact.     A 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  39 

young  man  and  woman  love  one  another,  he  is  tall  and 
well-built,  full  of  the  vigor  of  youth.  She  has  just  blos- 
somed into  womanhood;  her  eyes  are  bright,  the  rose- 
tint  of  health  is  upon  her  cheeks.  No  one  wonders  that 
they  should  love  each  other,  for  it  is  a  pleasure  merely 
to  look  upon  their  physical  perfection. 

Fifty  years  pass  away ;  years  filled  with  hard  work, 
trouble,  accidents,  and  sickness.  The  bent  form  of  an  old 
man  meets  our  gaze ;  he  walks  with  a  cane,  for  he  is  weak 
and  trembling,  and  half-blind;  a  withered  old  woman 
walks  by  his  side ;  her  eyes  are  dim,  her  cheeks  are  pale 
and  wrinkled. 

But  how  tenderly  thoughtful  they  are  for  each  other ! 
They  love  each  other  even  better  now  than  on  the  day 
when  they  pledged  their  faith  at  the  altar ;  for  though  the 
bodies  so  full  of  health  and  strength  have  been  changed 
beyond  recognition,  love  abides,  because  the  same  spirits 
dwell  in  the  crumbling  tenements  of  clay,  that  dwelt  in  the 
perfect  bodies  of  the  youth  and  maiden  of  fifty  years 
ago. 

So  embodiment  is  not  necessary  to  personality,  and 
God,  though  a  Spirit,  is  not  merely  an  influence  or  prin- 
ciple, but  a  strong  personality,  the  Scriptures  tell  us.  The 
following  are  a  few  of  the  instances  in  which  He  is  shown 
acting  as  a  person:  He  strives  with  sinners  (Gen.  6:3)  ; 
calls  upon  people  to  reason  with  Him  (Isa.  1 :18)  ;  can 
be  vexed  (Isa.  63:10)  ;  speaks  to  people  (Gen.  18:25-26; 
Matt.  3:17;  17:5);  He  rejoices  (1  Chron.  29:17;  Prov. 
15:8;  Hab.  11 :5-6) ;  He  judges  (Deut.  32:36;  Ps.  67:4; 
Jer.  11 :20 ;  Ezek.  7 :27 ;  Acts  10 :42 ;  Rev.  11 :18)  ;  He  for- 
gives (Num.  14:18;  2  Chron.  7:14;  Matt.  6:14;  Eph. 
4:32). 

One  of  the  most  important  facts  about  God's  char- 
acter, is  that  it  is  unchanging  (Num.  23:19;  Ps.  33:11; 
Heb.  6:7;  Jas.  1 :17).  It  is  this  truth  which  gives  us  con- 
fidence in  Him.  If  He  had  not  this  quality,  we  of  these 
later  centuries  could  not  know  Him,  for  we  would  not 
know  whether  His  thoughts  and  His  works  were  to  be  the 


40  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

same  toward  us  as  toward  His  people  in  ages  past,  or  not ; 
but  we  are  repeatedly  assured  that  God  does  not  change, 
therefore  we  can  know  Him  through  what  the  Bible  tells 
us  about  Him,  and  can  learn  what  He  wants  us  to  do  in 
view  of  our  relationship  to  Him. 


Chapter  VIII. 


THE  TRINITY. 


There  are  a  few  religions  besides  Christianity,  which 
teach  that  there  is  but  one  God;  there  are  many  non- 
Christian  faiths  which  teach  that  there  are  many  gods; 
but  Christianity  is  the  only  religion  which  tells  us  of  one 
God  who  exists  in  three  distinct  persons :  the  Father,  Son 
and  Holy  Ghost,  or  Holy  Spirit. 

Now  this  fact  may  seem  beyond  comprehension  to  us, 
yet  it  is  very  plainly  taught  in  the  Bible  (Matt.  28:19; 
Acts  5  :3-4;  Heb.  1 :8),  and  while  we  may  not  feel  that  we 
can  fully  grasp  this  truth,  yet  there  have  been  given  illus- 
trations which  help  us  to  understand  it  sufficiently  to  be- 
lieve it  and  act  upon  it,  as  we  are  daily  obliged  to  believe 
and  act  upon  things  of  earth  which  are  beyond  human 
understanding. 

The  hand  has  been  used  as  an  illustration  of  the  Trin- 
ity :  one  hand,  but  five  fingers,  which  may  act  separately 
or  in  unison,  as  the  work  requires.  Water  has  also  been 
used  as  an  illustration;  it  may  be  river,  lake,  or  brook, 
but  it  is  always  water,  and  always  has  the  same  qualities. 

Another  comparison  which  may  help  us  to  understand 
the  Trinity,  is  that  of  a  business  firm ;  there  may  be  three 
men  in  the  company,  going  under  one  firm  name,  yet  each 
having  an  individual  name.  They  share  equally  in  the 
work  and  profits,  and  any  one  of  them  is  authorized  to 
act  for  the  firm,  yet  each  has  some  particular  part  of  the 
business  for  which  he  is  responsible. 

So  God  the  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  the  three 
persons  of  the  Trinity,  work  together  in  the  creation  and 
crontrol  of  heaven  and  earth,  the  universe,  and  all  that 
they  contain  (Gen.  1:26;  Matt.  11:25-27;  John  1:1-3, 
14). 

At  the  same  time,  true  to  this  illustration,  each  per- 
son of  the  Trinity  has  His  own  special  work.  For  ex- 
ample, God  the  Father  is  the  law-giver  (Ex.  20:3;  Isa. 


42  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

33:22).  He  punishes  for  transgressions  (Ex.  20:5-7; 
Neh.  9:32-33;  Heb.  12:5-10).  He  planned  the  redemp- 
tion of  humanity  (John  3:16).  He  sent  the  Holy  Spirit 
into  the  world  (John  14:26).  He  decides  the  times  and 
seasons  for  all  the  affairs  of  His  kingdom  (  Matt.  24:36; 
Acts  1:7). 

Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  carried  out  the  Father's 
plan  of  redemption  by  giving  Himself  as  a  sacrifice  for 
our  sins  (Acts  5:30-31;  Eph.  1:3-7;  Heb.  13:12;  1  John 
1:7;  2:2).  He  makes  intercession  for  us  (Rom.  8:34; 
1  Tim.  2 :5  ;  Heb.  7 :25  ;  1  John  2:1).  He  is  the  head  of  the 
church  (Matt.  21 :42;  Eph.  1 :22;  Col.  1 :18).  He  is  our 
example  (John  13:15;  Eph.  5:1-2;  1  Pet.  2:21). 

The  Holy  Ghost,  also  called  the  Holy  Spirit,  appoints 
and  commissions  the  servants  of  God  (Isa.  48:16;  Acts 
13:2);  convicts  of  sin  (John  16:8-11);  the  Holy  Spirit 
teaches  about  Christ  (John  14:26;  15:26);  He  guides 
Christians  (John  16:13).  He  gives  the  second  birth 
(John  3:5-6).  He  gives  power  to  live  a  new  life  (Rom. 
8:2-5;  9-11;  Gal.  5:16-23).  He  makes  Christians  feel 
that  they  are  children  of  God  and  brethren  of  Christ 
(Rom.  8:14-16).  He  helps  us  to  pray,  and  makes  inter- 
cession for  us  (Rom.  8:26-27). 

All  who  believe  in  God  as  revealed  in  the  Bible, 
acknowledge  His  authority  and  supremacy  theoretically, 
whether  they  carry  out  their  belief  in  practice  or  not,  for 
the  position  He  holds  is  clearly  set  forth  in  the  Scrip- 
tures (Ex.  20:3;  Ps.  46:10;  Isa.  40:18,  22-23,  25-26;  Jer. 
32:17-19;  1  Tim.  1:17;  Rev.  7:9-12).  Some,  however, 
even  of  those  who  worship  God  sincerely,  fail  to  under- 
stand that  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  and  the  ''Com- 
forter, which  is  the  Holy  Ghost,"  are  to  be  honored 
equally  with  the  Father;  yet  this  truth  is  taught  in  the 
Bible  as  unmistakably  as  the  other. 

God  has  promised  to  give  His  Son  dominion  over  all 
the  world  (  Ps.  2:7-12;  Phil.  2 :9-l  1 ) .  God  acknowledges 
Jesus  Christ  as  His  Son  (Matt.  3:17;  17:5;  Luke  1:31- 
32).    He  is  to  judge  the  world  (Matt.  16:27;  25:31-33; 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  43 

Acts  17:31).  Christ  has  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  (Col. 
2 :9).  He  is  worshipped  as  God  by  the  angels  and  the  re- 
deemed in  heaven  (Rev.  5:5-12;  7:9-12). 

The  Holy  Spirit  likewise  is  often  spoken  of  as  God 
(Luke  1:35;  Acts  5:3-4;  1  Cor.  6:11;  1  Pet.  4:14). 
Christ  gives  the  Holy  Ghost  highest  honor,  counting  sin 
against  the  Spirit  of  God  worse  than  sin  against  the  Son 
of  God,  or  even  the  Father  Himself  (Matt.  12:31)  ;  and 
well  may  it  be  true  that  sin  against  Him  is  unpardonable, 
For  He  is  the  only  person  of  the  Godhead  present  in  the 
world  today,  and  if  we  reject  His  leading  and  pleading, 
there  is  no  one  to  bring  us  to  Christ  for  salvation,  no  one 
to  shed  the  love  of  God  abroad  in  our  hearts,  and  we  are 
forever  lost. 

The  Father  has  done  all  He  can  to  save  us  (John 
3:16).  The  Son  of  God  has  done  His  part  (Heb.  10:11- 
13).  Now  Christ  has  returned  to  glory,  and  sent  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  finish  the  work  of  redemption,  and  if  we  reject 
His  leading,  there  will  be  no  one  to  save  us  (John  16:7- 
15).  When  we  are  saved.  He  must  be  our  only  depend- 
ence to  qualify  us  for  work  in  the  kingdom  of  God 
(Acts  1 :4-8).  He  must  be  our  teacher  and  guide  as  we 
seek  to  study  the  Bible,  for  the  author  can  best  explain 
the  meaning  of  His  own  work  (2  Tim.  3:16-17;  2  Pet. 
1 :21)  ;  so  as  we  open  His  book  we  should  pray  to  Him  as 
did  David  the  Psalmist:  "Open  thou  mine  eyes,  that  I 
may  behold  wondrous  things  out  of  Thy  law"  (Ps.  119: 
18). 


Chapter  IX. 


THE  ENEMIES  OF  GOD. 


As  we  have  already  noticed,  when  God  had  finished 
the  creation  of  the  world,  He  looked  upon  all  that  He 
had  made,  and  pronounced  it  good.  Yet  now  there  are 
many  things  around  us  which  are  evil,  and  we  are  not 
living  in  perfect  and  happy  circumstances,  as  were  our 
first  parents.  Now,  how  did  conditions  become  so 
changed  ? 

The  Bible  does  not  leave  us  to  guess  at  the  answer  to 
this  question.  In  the  account  of  the  creation  of  man,  we 
are  told  that  God  gave  him  life,  health  and  happiness  on 
one  condition — that  of  perfect  obedience. 

It  might  seem  to  us  that  obedience  would  have  been 
easy,  since  only  one  command  was  given  to  Adam.  We, 
who  are  accustomed  to  a  multitude  of  statutes  and  ordi- 
nances, sometimes  feel  that  our  first  parents  should  have 
easily  been  able  to  retain  possession  of  Paradise,  when 
they  had  but  one  law  to  obey  (Gen.  2:7-17). 

However,  when  we  think  thus,  we  are  reckoning 
without  a  very  important  factor.  There  was  a  serpent 
in  Eden — not  only  the  physical  serpent  which  we  know 
as  the  snake,  but  a  far  more  subtle  and  dangerous  one — 
a  spiritual  serpent,  the  tempter  of  mankind,  whom  the 
Scriptures  refer  to  as  "Satan,"  "Beelzebub,''  "that  old 
serpent,"  "the  devil,"  and  other  names  (Gen.  3:1-7;  Mark 
3:22-26;  Rev.  12:9;  20:2). 

In  him  we  find  a  bitter  enemy  of  God  and  man  (1 
Pet.  5  :8).  We  learn  that  he  was  once  in  heaven,  but  for 
rebellion  against  God  was  cast  out  (Luke  10:18).  He  is 
a  powerful  personality,  and  influenced  other  angels  to 
join  him  in  his  rebellion  (2  Pet.  2:4;  Jude  6).  He  is 
called  the  prince  of  the  devils,  as  he  has  a  large  following, 
and  with  them  is  seeking  to  obtain  permanent  control  of 
the  world. 

This  throws  further  light  upon  the  origin  of  evil,  a 
question  about  which  many  are  troubled,  asking  whether 


46  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

God  created  evil.  Certainly  He  did  not,  for  God  is  good, 
and  created  all  things  good.  Evil  is  self -originating,  and 
God  has  opposed  it  from  the  beginning,  and  will  finally 
triumph  over  it  entirely,  and  forever. 

But  Adam  and  Eve  knew  nothing  of  the  existence  of 
this  enemy  of  God,  and  when  he  came  to  Eve,  telling  her 
that  God  had  a  selfish  motive  in  the  command  that  He 
had  given,  and  that  partaking  of  the  forbidden  fruit,  in- 
stead of  causing  death,  as  God  had  said,  would  bring 
them  wisdom  and  honor,  she  believed  what  the  tempter 
said,  and  acted  accordingly,  as  did  Adam  when  he  had 
heard  her  report  of  what  Satan  had  told  her. 

Their  mistake  was  in  not  inquiring  of  God  concern- 
ing what  the  tempter  told  them,  but  as  we,  with  the 
knowledge  of  his  existence,  and  the  light  which  the  Bible 
throws  upon  his  character,  often  make  the  same  mistake, 
it  behooves  us  not  to  judge  them  harshly,  for  no  doubt 
in  their  place  we  should  have  done  no  better. 

What  we  should  do  now,  is  not  to  spend  our  time  criti- 
cizing our  first  parents,  or  speculating  upon  what  might 
have  been  if  they  had  acted  differently;  but  our  duty  is 
to  learn  what  the  Scriptures  teach  about  this  great  enemy 
of  God  and  man,  and  learn  how  to  resist  him  and  how  to 
keep  out  of  the  snares  he  sets  for  us. 

We  have  already  found  that  he  is  powerful  and  sub- 
tle; we  further  find  that  he  is  presumptuous  (Job  1:6; 
Matt.  4:5-6)  ;  he  is  proud  (1  Tim.  3:6)  ;  wicked  (1  John 
2:13);  deceitful  (2  Cor.  11:14;  Eph.  6:11);  fierce  and 
cruel  (Luke  8 :29 ;  9 :39,  42 ;  1  Pet.  5 :8) . 

As  the  works  of  God  are  an  evidence  of  His  character, 
and  in  keeping  with  it,  so  the  works  of  Satan  correspond 
with  his  character.  Hating  God,  he  opposes  His  work 
(Zech.  3:1;  IThess.  2:18)  ;  he  opposes  the  gospel  (Matt. 
13:19;  2  Cor.  4:4);  perverts  the  Scriptures  (Matt.  4: 
6)  ;  works  lying  wonders  (2  Thess.  2:9;  Rev.  16:14)  ;  is 
the  father  of  Hes  (1  Kings  22:22;  John  8:44)  ;  and  ap- 
pears as  an  angel  of  light  (2  Cor.  11 :14). 

With  such  an  enemy  seeking  to  destroy  us  physically, 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  47 

mentally,  and  spiritually  (Luke  22:31;  1  Pet.  5:8),  is  it 
any  wonder  that  sin,  sickness,  and  death,  with  all  their  at- 
tendant suffering  and  sorrow,  abound  in  this  world  of 
ours?  And  should  we  not  learn  how  to  guard  against 
this  adversary,  who  has  never  been  vanquished  by  any- 
one except  Christ,  the  Son  of  God  and  Savior  of  the 
world,  who  will  some  day  triumph  over  him  completely 
and  forever ?  (Matt.  4 :1 1 ;  8 :31-32 ;  Mark  1 :23-26 ;  Acts 
16:18;  1  John  3:8). 


Chapter  X. 

THE  CONFLICT  BETWEEN  GOOD  AND  EVIL. 

With  the  fall  of  man  began  a  conflict  in  this  world, 
which  has  been  going  on  ever  since  (Gen.  3:15),  and 
which  will  continue  for  we  know  not  how  long.  The 
forces  of  good  and  evil  are  engaged  in  mortal  combat, 
and  one  of  them  must  fall.    Which  is  to  be  victorious  ? 

Over  half  a  century  ago,  Lowell  answered  the  ques- 
tion thus : 

"Truth  forever  on  the  scaffold,  wrong  forever  on  the  throne, 
Yet  that  scaffold  sways  the  future,  and  behind  the  dim  unknown 
Standeth  God  within  the  shadow,  keeping  watch  above  His  own." 

In  the  pages  of  history  we  can  read,  as  the  poet  had 
read,  the  story  of  that  conflict,  and  see  how,  because  God 
is  watching  above  His  own,  truth  is  continually  coming 
down  from  the  scaffold  and  ascending  the  throne,  and  the 
good  which  evil  men  think  is  dead  and  buried,  rises  again, 
and  goes  forth  to  conquer  the  world. 

It  is  for  us  to  choose  on  which  side  we  shall  enlist  in 
this  conflict ;  there  is  no  escape  from  taking  part  in  it,  for 
this  is  a  war  in  which  there  are  no  neutrals ;  those  who  at- 
tempt to  take  such  a  place,  will  find  that  they  are  fighting 
first  on  one  side,  and  then  on  the  other,  winning  the  enm- 
ity of  all  and  the  friendship  of  none. 

There  are  two  places  where  this  conflict  is  going  on; 
within  the  soul,  where  good  and  evil  wage  war  upon  each 
other  until  one  of  them  is  victorious,  and  we  are  either 
captives  of  sin  and  Satan  (2  Tim.  2:23-26),  or  co-work- 
ers and  joint-heirs  with  Jesus  Christ  (Rom.  8:16-17); 
and  outside  the  soul  in  the  world,  where  the  ideals  of 
those  on  either  side  are  opposed  to  each  other,  and  lead 
to  actions  corresponding  with  the  ideals  (John  3  :19-21). 

Now,  if  we  have  decided  that  we  want  to  enlist  on  the 
side  of  good,  how  shall  we  begin  our  battle  against  the 
evil  within  ourselves,  and  against  all  the  iniquities  of  the 
outside  world? 

When  one  wishes  to  enlist  in  an  earthly  army,  he  is 


50  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

first  of  all  required  to  take  an  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
government  of  the  country  for  which  he  wishes  to  fight ; 
so  we  must  make  our  solemn  vow  of  allegiance  to  God, 
the  supreme  and  only  lawful  ruler  of  the  world  (Ex.  20: 
3;  Isa.  45  :22;  Jer.  10:6-7),  and  must  promise  to  abide  by 
the  laws  laid  down  in  His  word  for  the  government  of 
the  body  and  soul  of  man,  individually  and  collectively. 

Second,  the  recruit  takes  his  place  in  charge  of  some 
officer  competent  to  instruct  and  command  him;  so  we 
are  to  place  ourselves  under  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the 
captain  of  our  salvation  (Heb.  2:10),  and  be  ready  to 
obey  His  commands,  however  hard  they  may  seem,  and 
to  follow  where  He  leads,  wherever  that  may  be. 

Next,  the  new  soldier  is  given  a  uniform,  with  which 
he  replaces  his  former  garments,  and  thus  is  always  to  be 
distinguished  from  those  who  are  not  in  the  army,  or 
are  in  some  other  army.  So  we  are  to  put  off  "the  old 
man  and  his  deeds"  (Eph.  4:22;  Col.  3:8-9)  ;  and  we  are 
to  put  on  ''the  new  man"  (Eph.  4:24;  Col.  3:10),  whose 
quahties  are  mercy,  kindness,  humility,  meekness,  pa- 
tience, and  above  all  things,  love  (Col.  3:12-15). 

The  soldier  is  given  proper  equipment  for  warfare, 
with  weapons  of  offense  and  defense.  So  God  furnishes 
those  who  enlist  in  His  service  with  the  needful  equip- 
ment, and  Paul  bids  us  'Tut  on  the  whole  armor  of  God, 
that  ye  may  be  able  to  stand  against  the  wiles  of  the 
devil"  (Eph.  6:11). 

Now,  what  does  this  armor  consist  of,  and  how  can 
we  put  it  on  ?  We  are  told  that  it  is  an  "armor  of  light" 
(Rom.  13:12).  We  can  put  it  on  by  letting  the  light  of 
God's  word  into  our  fives :  "Thy  word  is  a  lamp  unto  my 
feet,  and  a  light  unto  my  path"  (Ps.  119:105);  so  by 
daily  reading  and  studying  the  Bible,  we  can  put  on  an 
armor  of  light,  which  will  protect  us  against  darkness 
without  and  within. 

The  armor  of  God  is  also  an  "armor  of  righteous- 
ness" (2  Cor.  6:7).  When  we  have  put  on  the  armor  of 
light  by  studying  the   Scriptures,  we  must  put  on  the 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  51 

armor  of  righteousness  by  practicing  the  truth  which  the 
light  has  revealed.  It  shows  us  our  sin  (Rom.  3  :23)  ;  we 
must  forsake  the  sin.  It  shows  us  a  Savior  from  sin — 
(Rom.  3:24-25) — we  must  accept  that  Savior.  It  shows 
us  that  the  Spirit  of  God  in  our  Hves  will  overcome  sin 
(Rom.  8:1-17 — we  must  ask  that  Spirit  to  come  into  our 
hearts,  and  must. live  by  His  guidance  day  by  day. 

Righteousness  forms  our  breastplate  (Eph.  6:14). 
The  physical  breastplate  protects  the  vital  organs — heart 
and  lungs — so  righteousness  shields  the  Christian  in  the 
part  which  makes  his  religion  real — the  daily  application 
of  its  principles  to  his  conduct  toward  his  fellow-men,  as 
well  as  toward  his  Lord  and  Master.  Paul  also  speaks  of 
the  "breastplate  of  faith  and  love"  (1  Thess.  5:8).  Faith 
and  love  are  the  roots  of  righteousness.  We  can  not  have 
one  without  the  others ;  as  surely  as  we  have  faith  in  God, 
and  love  for  Him  and  for  our  neighbors,  so  surely  shall 
we  "do  justly,  love  mercy,  and  walk  humbly"  with  our 
God,  which  is  all  that  He  requires  of  us  (Micah.  6:8). 
And  any  righteousness  which  does  not  spring  from  faith 
in  God,  and  love  for  our  neighbors,  will  not  stand  the  test 
of  time ;  it  is  like  a  tree  cut  off  from  its  roots,  and  plant- 
ed in  the  door-yard ;  it  may  appear  flourishing  for  a  time, 
but  it  will  never  bear  fruit,  and  by  and  by  it  will  wither 
away. 

We  must  be  "girt  about  with  truth,"  if  we  are  to  stand 
against  the  power  of  evil;  and  the  truth  is  found  in  the 
word  of  God  (Ps.  19:9;  John  8:31-32;  17:17). 

Our  feet  are  to  be  "shod  with  the  preparation  of  the 
gospel  of  peace"  (Eph.  6:15),  that  we  may  go  about  in 
the  spirit  of  Him  who  brought  this  gospel,  and  bring  its 
blessed  message  to  the  world  wherever  we  go. 

"The  shield  of  faith"  (Eph.  6:16)  will  gather  up  all 
the  evil  which  may  assail  us,  and  keep  it  from  entering 
our  souls;  for  by  faith  we  shall  know  that  "all  things 
work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God"  (Rom. 
8 :28)  ;  that  though  trouble  may  come  to  us,  it  will  not 
overcome  us  (John  16:33)  ;  that  we  can  find  refuge  from 


52  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

trouble  in  God  (Ps.  27:5;  46:1)  ;  that  He  will  deliver  us 
us  from  our  troubles  (Ps.  34:7;  50:15;  91:14-15),  and 
we  can  patiently  wait  His  time  (Ps.  30:5;  Jas.  1:12;  1 
Pet.  1:3-9). 

The  head  is  an  important  part  which  needs  protection 
in  time  of  battle,  and  the  helmet  was  used  for  this  pur- 
pose in  old  methods  of  warfare;  the  mind  of  the  Chris- 
tian needs  protection ;  and  salvation,  with  the  hope  which 
it  brings  us,  is  the  helmet  which  will  guard  our  minds  not 
only  against  evil  thoughts,  but  also  against  false  doctrines, 
which  in  one  guise  or  another,  are  always  in  the  world, 
and  struggling  for  the  control  of  our  mental  life  (Eph. 
6:17;  1  Thess.  5:8). 

The  last  part  of  our  equipment  is  the  only  weapon  that 
we  are  given:  "The  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the 
word  of  God"  (Eph.  6:17).  This  is  to  be  used  both  for 
offense  and  defense:  to  conquer  our  enemies,  and  bring 
them  over  to  the  side  of  Christ,  and  to  prevent  them  from 
gaining  the  victory  over  us.  Our  great  Captain  used  it 
well,  and  from  Him  we  can  learn  how  to  wield  it  effec- 
tively. 

Immediately  after  the  baptism  of  Jesus,  He  was  led 
out  to  battle  with  the  great  enemy  of  God  and  man  (Matt. 
4:1).  He  was  victorious  in  the  combat,  and  every  step 
of  the  victory  was  won  by  "the  sword  of  the  Spirit." 

"If  Thou  be  the  Son  of  God,  command  that  these 
stones  be  made  bread,"  said  the  tempter — an  attempt  to 
sow  doubt  in  the  heart  of  the  Lord,  as  he  had  sowed  it  in 
the  minds  of  our  first  parents;  an  effort  to  cause  Christ 
to  place  the  pleasures  of  earth  before  obedience  to  God, 
as  Adam  and  Eve  had  done.  But  Jesus  refused  to  let 
doubt  enter.  He  knew  that  the  assurance  of  His  Sonship 
rested  upon  the  word  of  God,  and  that  obedience  to  His 
Father's  word  was  stronger  proof  than  the  satisfaction  of 
His  hunger  in  a  miraculous  way  would  be,  so  He 
answered  by  quoting  from  the  Scripture,  "Man  shall  not 
live  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth 
out  of  the  mouth  of  God"  (Deut.  8:3;  Matt.  4:4;  Luke 
4:4). 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  53 

Then,  seeing  that  Christ  would  not  doubt  the  word  of 
God,  Satan  attempted  to  lead  Him  to  misinterpret  it; 
taking  Him  to  a  pinnacle  of  the  temple;  he  asked  Jesus  to 
prove  His  Sonship  by  casting  Himself  down,  and  we  find 
the  devil  piously  quoting  Scripture ;  "He  shall  give  His 
angels  charge  over  thee;  and  in  their  hands  they  shall 
bear  thee  up,  lest  thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone," 
said  the  tempter  (Matt.  4:6;  Luke  4:9;  Ps.  91-11)  ;  but 
thanks  be  to  God,  Christ  knew  His  Bible  better  than 
Satan  did,  so  He  repHed:  "It  is  written  again,  'Thou 
shalt  not  tempt  the  Lord  thy  God'  "  (Deut.  6 :16 ;  Luke  4 : 
12).  A  smattering  of  Bible  knowledge  is  not  enough  for 
the  soldier  of  Christ ;  we  must  know  the  book  all  the  way 
through  if  we  want  to  use  the  sword  of  the  Spirit  success- 
fully, as  Jesus  did. 

When  one  temptation  fails,  Satan  tries  another;  and 
if  the  second  fails,  he  tries  a  third ;  and  he  always  chooses 
something  in  the  line  of  our  desires;  so  when  he  could 
not  lead  Jesus  to  sin  by  misinterpreting  the  Scriptures,  he 
tried  another  method.  Jesus  had  come  to  set  up  a  king- 
dom in  this  world ;  there  were  many  obstacles  in  the  way, 
and  Jesus  saw  ahead  of  Him  a  long,  toilsome  path  to  the 
throne.  Now  Satan  offers  Him  a  short-cut  to  the  ruler- 
ship  :  just  to  bow  down  and  worship  him ;  up  here  in  the 
mountain  there  is  no  one  to  see — but  the  eye  of  God 
would  see,  and  He  would  know  that  His  Son  had  disobey- 
ed, though  no  eye  of  man  or  angel  might  behold. 

Besides  this,  the  promises  of  the  devil  are  all  un- 
truths— lies ;  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  do  not  belong  to 
him.  He  is  usurping  them  now,  but  they  belong  to  God, 
and  He  will  wrest  them  from  the  power  of  Satan  and 
give  them  to  His  Son — by  way  of  the  cross,  and  the  tomb 
(Heb.  12:1-2),  but  then  they  will  be  His  forever  (Isa. 
9:6-7).  So  Christ  drove  the  tempter  from  His  presence 
with  these  words :  "Get  thee  hence,  Satan :  for  it  is  writ- 
ten, 'Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  Him  only 
shalt  thou  serve'." 

Thus  Christ  won  the  great  victory  over  Satan;  and 


54  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

when  we  enlist  under  His  banner,  put  on  the  armor  of 
God,  take  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  ''praying  always  with 
all  suppHcation  in  the  Spirit"  (Eph.  6:18),  He  will  stand 
by  our  side  and  help  us  in  the  battle  against  sin  in  our 
lives  and  in  the  world,  till  the  victory  is  won  (1  Cor.  15: 
57;  1  John  5 :3-5),  and  evil  has  been  entirely  overcome  by 
good  (Rom.  12:21). 


Chapter  XI. 

SIN,  SICKNESS,  SORROW  AND  DEATH 

*'Sin  is  the  transgression  of  the  law,"  and  "all  un- 
righteousness is  sin,"  says  the  Bible.  Everything  that 
fails  to  measure  up  to  the  requirements  of  the  law  of  God, 
contained  in  the  Scriptures,  is  sin  (1  John  3:4).  "Why 
did  God  create  sin?"  ask  some  persons,  while  others 
question  thus  :  "Did  God  create  sin  ?"  Certainly  not,  is  the 
answer  given  by  the  Bible:  "Let  no  man  say  when  he  is 
tempted,  'I  am  tempted  of  God:'  for  God  can  not  be 
tempted  with  evil,  neither  tempteth  He  any  man."  (Jas. 
1:13). 

Whence  comes  sin,  then?  From  two  sources:  first, 
from  Satan,  who  introduced  it  into  the  world,  and  tries  to 
make  every  one  sin  (Gen.  3:1-6;  Matt.  4:3-10;  Luke  22: 
31 ;  Acts  5  :3)  ;  and  second,  from  the  heart  of  man,  cor- 
rupted by  yielding  to  Satan  (Jas.  1 :14). 

God  did  not  originate  sin,  which  is  evil,  for  He  is 
good,  and  created  all  things  good  (Gen.  1 :31 ;  Matt.  19: 
17).  Sin  was  born  in  the  heart  of  Satan  himself  (1  John 
3:8).  Good  and  evil  are  alike  self -originating,  and  both 
have  existed  from  the  beginning  (Gen.  1 :1 ;  John  8:44)  ; 
but  good,  because  it  is  of  God,  will  triumph  over  evil ;  the 
Son  of  God  came  into  the  world  to  destroy  the  works  of 
the  devil  (1  John  3:8)  ;  the  battle  between  good  and  evil 
is  now  being  waged,  and  will  end  in  the  triumph  of 
Christ,  and  the  overthrow  of  Satan  and  his  kingdom 
(Phil.  2:9-11;  Rev.  5:13;  20:10). 

One  way  in  which  the  overcoming  of  evil  is  made  sure, 
is  by  God's  provision  for  getting  rid  of  sin;  human 
strength  is  powerless  to  break  its  dominion;  you  can 
prove  this,  as  many  others  have  proved  it,  by  trying  to 
keep  the  laws  of  God  without  His  aid;  your  failures  in 
word,  deed,  and  thought,  will  be  so  constant  and  num- 
erous that  they  will  burden  you  with  a  sense  of  guilt,  un- 
til you  feel  that  even  if  you  should  in  time  succeed  in 


56  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

keeping  His  commandments  perfectly,  that  could  never 
wash  away  the  stains  already  upon  your  soul. 

How  precious  then  are  the  promises  of  salvation  from 
sin  through  Christ:  the  promise  of  pardon  for  the  past 
and  overcoming  power  for  the  future  (Isa.  53:4-6;  John 
1:29;  Heb.  2:17-18;  I  John  1:9).  The  peace  which 
comes  into  the  soul  that  has  thrown  itself  upon  these 
promises,  and  stands  justified  before  God  (Rom.  5:1), 
and  freed  from  the  bondage  of  sin  (Rom.  6:14,  18;  8: 
15),  is  something  that  none  but  those  who  have  experi- 
enced it  can  understand. 

One  of  the  effects  of  sin  upon  the  human  race,  is  seen 
in  sickness ;  not  that  each  individual  case  of  illness  is  due 
to  sin  upon  the  part  of  the  sufferer  (John  9:2-3)  ;  but 
death  of  the  body  is  part  of  the  punishment  for  sin  (Gen. 
3:19;  Rom.  6:23),  and  disease  is  the  instrumentality 
through  which  death  is  brought  about — injuries  being 
classed  with  disease,  because  they  produce  disease  in  the 
parts  injured — and  even  old  age  is  a  mild  disease,  a  slow 
decaying  of  the  physical  powers. 

Trouble  is  another  part  of  the  penalty  of  sin  (Gen.  3: 
16-17),  to  which  the  race  is  subject,  and  yet  which,  like 
sickness,  may  or  may  not  be  due  to  the  sin  of  the  person 
who  has  it  to  endure  (1  Sam.  2:12,  23;  3:11-14;  Job  1 : 
8-22). 

Now,  Christ  has  come  to  deliver  us  from  the  penalty, 
as  well  as  the  power  of  sin,  so  we  naturally  expect  that 
He  will  deliver  us  from  sickness,  sorrow  and  death,  and 
we  find  that  we  are  not  to  be  disappointed  in  our  expec- 
tation ;  but,  as  even  the  redemption  from  sin  will  not  be 
complete  in  this  life  (1  Cor.  3:1-2;  13:9-12;  1  Pet.  2:1-2; 
1  John  3:1-2)  ;  and  as  death  is  the  last  enemy  that  is  to 
be  destroyed  (1  Cor.  15:26),  so  sickness  and  sorrow  are 
not  to  be  banished  immediately  (Matt.  25:34-40;  John 
16:33),  but  the  Christian  will  have  a  different  attitude  to- 
ward them  than  is  possible  to  unbelievers. 

The  Christian  does  not  fear  death,  for  he  looks  upon  it 
as  only  a  sleep  for  the  body  (John  11 :11 ;  1  Thess.  5  :10), 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  57 

the  awakening  of  the  soul  to  a  larger  and  happier  life 
(Ps.  17:15;  John  11:  25-26;  14:2-3;  Phil.  1:23-24). 

We  find  that  both  sickness  and  sorrow  sometimes 
come  from  God  as  a  punishment  for  sin  (Num.  11:18- 
33;  21:5-6;  Judges  2:11-15).  Therefore  we  would  do 
well,  when  they  come  upon  us,  to  examine  ourselves,  and 
see  if  there  is  not  some  way  in  which  we  have  broken  the 
laws  of  God  for  the  body  or  the  soul ;  for  only  by  turn- 
ing from  our  sin  to  the  Lord,  can  we  hope  to  find  relief 
in  such  cases  (Num.  21:7-9;  Judges  2:10,  15;  1  Sam.  7: 
3-10). 

Sometimes  these  troubles  are  sent  by  God  as  a  means 
of  discipline,  to  correct  some  fault  of  character,  and  to 
bring  us  nearer  perfection  (Heb.  12:7-10)  ;  then  we  are 
to  bear  them  in  the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  bore  so 
much  trouble  in  order  to  save  us(  Heb.  12  :l-3). 

Sometimes  Satan  is  the  direct  cause  of  our  troubles, 
because  of  his  malice  toward  all  things  good,  and  his  de- 
sire to  overthrow  those  who  are  Hving  faithful  Christian 
lives  (Job  1:8-12;  2:3-7;  Luke  13:10-16;  22:31)  ;  some- 
times it  is  the  wicked,  who  are  servants  of  Satan,  who  are 
responsible  for  our  troubles  (John  15:17-20;  2  Tim.  3: 
12;  1  Pet.  3:14-17;  4:12-14)  ;  at  such  times,  we  can  have 
the  comfort  of  Christ's  own  words  promising  a  blessing  to 
those  who  are  persecuted  (Matt.  5:11-12)  ;  we  can  find 
inspiration  in  the  lives  of  those  who  have  preceded  us  in 
the  path  of  suffering  (Jas.  5:10-11),  and  in  the  example 
and  fellowship  of  Christ  our  Lord  (1  Pet.  2:21-23;  4: 
13). 

For  these  reasons,  sickness  and  sorrow  do  not  rest 
upon  the  Christian  with  the  same  weight  as  upon  others, 
for  he  has  the  promise  that  God  will  use  them  to  work  out 
good  for  him  (Rom.  8:28;  2  Cor.  4:17;  Heb.  12:11)  ;  he 
has  the  promise  of  help  in  bearing  them  (Ps.  55  :22;  John 
16:33;  2  Cor.  12:10)  ;  he  has  the  promise  of  deliverance 
from  trouble  and  sickness  through  prayer  (Ps.  50:15; 
91:15;  Jas.  5:13-16),  and  the  promise  of  a  future  Hfe 
where  these  things  shall  be  unknown  (Isa.  25  :8;  Rev.  21 : 


58  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

4).  Therefore,  leaning  upon  these  promises,  and  experi- 
encing their  fulfillment  in  times  of  sickness  and  sorrow, 
he  can  go  through  them  as  a  conqueror  (Rom.  8:35-39), 
and  when  the  end  comes,  like  Paul,  he  can  look  forward 
to  the  crown  of  righteousness  which  the  Lord  will  give  to 
all  them  that  love  His  appearing  (2  Tim.  4:8). 


Chapter  XII. 

SPIRITUAL  HEALTH. 

The  soul  of  man  comes  into  the  world  sick ;  our  first 
parents  lost  their  spiritual  health  by  sin,  and  all  their  de- 
scendants have  inherited  their  disease,  God  had  warned 
Adam  and  Eve,  saying,  "Thou  shalt  surely  die"  (Gen.  2: 
17),  and  no  sooner  had  they  partaken  of  the  forbidden 
fruit,  than  the  human  race  became  desperately  ill  with 
sin  (Isa.  1 :4-6).  No  one  is  exempt  from  this  disease ;  all 
are  sinners  (Eccl.  7:20;  Rom.  3:23;  1  John  1 :8),  and  in 
their  natural  condition  incapable  of  goodness  (Luke  18: 
19),  and  unable  to  keep  the  law  of  God  (Rom.  8:7;  Gal. 
5:17). 

But  Christ  has  come  to  restore  the  soul  to  health 
(Matt.  9:12-13)  ;  and  to  give  a  new  birth,  by  which  we 
can  be  re-established  in  the  position  of  children  of  God, 
which  we  have  lost  through  sin  (John  1:12-13;  3:3,  5- 
8;  Eph.  2:1-6).  So  serious  is  its  disease,  indeed,  that  it 
is  practically  already  dead ;  but  Christ  has  come,  with 
power  to  restore  it  to  life  (Eph.  2:1,  5). 

The  life  and  health  of  the  soul  having  been  restored, 
its  continuance,  like  the  preservation  of  physical  health, 
depends  upon  the  observance  of  divine  laws ;  and  we  find 
that  these  laws,  as  well  as  the  laws  for  the  body,  are  based 
upon  human  needs. 

And  these  needs  correspond  closely  with  the  physical 
needs.  The  test  for  physical  life,  is  breath;  if  the  body 
does  not  breathe,  it  is  dead.  The  test  for  spiritual  Hfe,  is 
love  (1  John  3:14)  ;  just  as  soon  as  love  begins,  the  soul 
begins  to  live,  and  where  there  is  no  love,  there  is  no 
spiritual  life.  Just  as  God  has  provided  organs  for  breath- 
ing, and  something  to  breathe,  so  has  He  given  us  hearts 
with  which  to  love,  and  objects  for  our  love. 

As  God  alone  can  cause  us  to  begin  breathing,  and  to 
continue  breathing,  so  He  alone  can  cause  us  to  begin 
loving,  and  keep  on  loving.    And  as  breathing  is  not  only 


60  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

a  privilege,  but  a  duty,  which  must  be  done  if  we  wish  to 
live,  and  done  correctly,  if  we  wish  to  have  physical 
health,  so  love  is  not  merely  a  privilege,  but  a  duty,  and 
the  most  important  duty  we  have  (Lev.  19:18;  Deut.  6: 
4-5;  Matt.  22:37-39;  Gal.  5:14). 

We  have  seen  that  some  air  is  impure,  and  unfit  to 
breathe;  so  there  are  some  things  that  are  impure,  and 
not  fit  to  be  loved  (Amos  5  :15 ;  1  Tim.  6:9-10;  2  Tim.  3: 
1-5  ;  1  John  2 :15).  We  must  see  that  these  things  do  not 
poison  the  atmosphere  of  the  soul,  or  they  will  underrnine 
our  spiritual  health,  and  finally  result  in  the  soul's  death. 

The  proper  objects  of  our  love  are  pointed  out  in  the 
Bible:  first  of  all,  God  (Matt.  22:37-38);  second,  our 
neighbor  (Matt.  22:39)  ;  it  is  taken  for  granted  that  we 
will  love  those  who  love  us,  but  we  are  not  to  stop  there ; 
we  must  love  those  who  hate  us  (Matt.  5  :44-45). 

Aside  from  God  and  our  fellow-human  beings,  we 
should  also  love  things  and  places  which  are  in  harmony 
with  God's  will,  and  which  will  help  us  to  serve  Him.  We 
must  love  righteousness  (Ps.  45:7)  and  mercy  (Micah 
6:8)  ;  we  must  love  God's  house  (Ps.  26:8;  84:10)  and 
his  law  (Ps.  Ii9:97,  113),  and  his  church  (1  Pet.  2:17). 
Even  the  love  of  life  is  proper  in  its  place,  and  an  incen- 
tive to  righteousness  (Ps.  34:12-14). 

We  are  also  plainly  directed  as  to  the  manner  of  our 
loving.  We  must  love  God  with  all  our  powers  (Luke 
10:27).  There  must  be  no  pretense  about  our  loving;  it 
must  be  sincere  (Rom.  12:9).  Our  love  for  one  another 
must  be  brotherly  (Rom.  12:10;  Heb.  13:1)  ;  it  must  be 
pure  and  fervent  (1  Pet.  1 :22)  ;  it  must  be  shown  by  our 
actions  (Deut.  15:7;  Luke  3:11;  1  John  3:17-18).  To 
sum  it  all  up,  our  love  for  one  another  must  be  like  the 
loev  of  God  and  the  love  of  Christ  for  us  (John  15  :9,  12 ; 
Eph.  4:32;  1  John  3:16).  In  the  fifth  chapter  of  Ephes- 
ians,  and  the  first  nine  verses  of  the  sixth  chapter,  we 
have  a  classic  on  love  as  it  is  to  be  shown  in  every 
relationship  of  life ;  most  of  this  is  repeated  in  Colossians 
third  chapter,  and  first  verse  of  chapter  four. 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  61 

In  some  instances,  the  word  love  has  been  translated 
"charity"  in  the  version  of  the  Bible  commonly  used:  in 
the  revised  version  this  has  been  changed  to  love.  The 
thirteenth  chapter  of  First  Corinthians  is  a  eulogy  of  love, 
which  we  ought  to  memorize  and  repeat  every  week,  and 
the  teachings  of  which  we  should  practice  every  day ;  the 
analysis  of  love  in  verses  four  to  seven,  clears  up  our 
questions  as  to  what  love  is,  and  shows  us  that  it  is  com- 
posed of  many  virtues  in  one. 

In  fact,  as  it  is  true  that  when  we  breathe  properly, 
life  is  present,  and  all  its  activities  follow,  so  when  we 
love  as  we  ought,  all  the  activities  of  the  spiritual  life  fol- 
low, and  we  have  all  the  virtues.  Love  is  the  first 
fruit  of  the  Spirit,  and  from  it  spring  all  the  others 
(Gal.  5:22-23).  Without  it,  spiritual  health  is  impos- 
sible; with  it,  the  law  of  God  can  be  kept,  and  the  soul 
will  be  strong  and  perfect  in  health. 

An  abundant  supply  of  love  is  to  be  found  in  God  (2 
Cor.  13:11;  Eph.  3:19;  1  John  4:8,  16),  but  as  we  must 
open  our  windows  and  doors  to  secure  fresh  air,  so  must 
we  open  our  hearts  to  receive  this  love  (John  5  :42 ;  Eph. 
3:17-19;  2  Thess.  3:5;  Rev.  3:20). 

And  we  can  no  more  love  without  God  than  we  can 
breathe  without  air ;  all  love  comes  from  Him,  even  when 
are  are  not  conscious  of  His  presence,  and  have  not  sur- 
rendered our  hearts  to  Him  (1  John  4:7)  ;  yet  when  we 
do  not  look  to  Him  for  the  love,  we  poison  what  He  sends 
us  by  our  selfishness,  consequently  are  spiritually  diseas- 
ed, and  unable  to  obey  His  commandments  (1  John  5  :3)  ; 
but  by  receiving,  trusting,  and  living  according  to  His 
word.  His  love  will  be  perfected  in  us,  and  our  spiritual 
health  will  grow  better  day  by  day. 

As  one  of  the  most  important  needs  of  the  body  is  for 
food,  so  we  find  the  soul  of  man  hungers;  he  may  not 
know  how  to  satisfy  that  hunger;  indeed,  like  the  new- 
born babe,  if  left  to  himself,  man  would  not  know  where 
or  how  to  find  spiritual  food,  and  the  soul  would  die  of 
starvation. 


62  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

But  God  has  made  provision  for  satisfying  the  hunger 
of  the  soul,  as  well  as  that  of  the  body  ;we  hunger  for 
knowledge  of  God  and  communion  with  Him,  and  this 
He  has  given  partially  through  nature,  chiefly  through 
personal  communication,  by  prophets  and  apostles,  and 
through  the  Bible,  in  which  is  summed  up  all  the  instruc- 
tion necessary  to  a  healthy  spiritual  life  (Ps.  23  :5 ;  Prov. 
4:20-22;  John  6:35;  21:15-18;  1  Pet.  2:2). 

We  may  not  be  conscious  of  this  hunger,  yet  it  exists 
in  every  soul,  and  we  try  to  satisfy  it  in  various  ways ;  the 
heathen  nations,  who  have  lost  communication  with  God 
because  of  sin,  make  for  themselves  idols  of  wood  and 
stone,  or  of  silver  and  gold  (Acts  17:23),  and  try  to  still 
the  craving  of  the  spirit  with  them ;  but  we  can  see  how 
they  fail  to  fill  the  need  of  the  soul,  and  how  it  deterior- 
ates until  man  is  but  little  better  than  the  beasts. 

In  civilized  countries  we  do  not  try  to  satisfy  our  spir- 
itual hunger  by  making  idols ;  yet  many  of  us  are  trying  to 
feed  upon  things  which  are  equally  icapable  of  sustaining 
life  in  the  soul,  and  keeping  it  strong  and  healthy. 

It  may  be  we  are  trying  to  satisfy  the  soul  with  pleas- 
ure; it  may  be  with  work;  it  may  be  with  education;  it 
may  be  with  love  of  family  and  friends;  some  of  which 
are  good  things  in  themselves,  and  may  be  helpful  to  the 
life  of  the  soul ;  yet  if  we  leave  out  the  knowledge  of  God, 
and  communion  with  Him  by  means  of  Bible  study  and 
prayer,  our  spiritual  life  can  no  more  be  healthy  than 
could  the  physical  life  if  we  tried  to  satisfy  our  hunger 
with  those  fruits  and  vegetables  which  are  large  in  bulk 
but  have  little  nutrition,  neglecting  to  use  the  carbon- 
aceous and  nitrogenous  foods  which  are  the  chief  support 
of  the  body  (Isa.  55  :2-3  ;  John  6:33;  17:3). 

Our  communion  with  God  through  His  word  and 
prayer  should  be  regular.  We  would  not  expect  to  be 
physically  strong  if  we  ate  but  one  meal  a  week,  yet 
many  persons  think  they  can  become  spiritually  strong 
by  hearing  a  sermon  once  a  week,  and  spending  a  half- 
hour  reading  the  Bible  on  Sunday  afternoon.    We  need 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  63 

food  every  day,  and  more  than  once  a  day,  and  so  we  need 
daily  communion  with  God,  at  frequent  intervals  (Ps.  5: 
3;  55:17;  Dan.  6:10;  Deut.  6:6-7;  Acts  17-11). 

The  soul  thirsts  as  well  as  hungers,  we  are  told,  and 
again  the  supply  which  will  satisfy  our  need  is  found  in 
God,  and  nowhere  else  (Ps.  42:1;  63:1;  Isa.  55:1;  Jer. 
2:13;  John  4:10,  13-14).  We  should  drink  freely  of  the 
water  of  life  (Rev.  22:17)  if  we  would  have  the  soul 
health  which  brings  joy  (Isa.  12:3). 

The  soul  needs  exercise  in  order  to  grow  strong,  and 
as  the  first  exercise  of  infant  hands  is  reaching  out  after 
something,  so  the  first  spiritual  exercise  is  faith — the 
reaching  out  of  the  soul  after  God,  and  taking  Him  into 
our  fives. 

At  an  early  age  the  child  learns  to  walk,  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  he  walks,  and  the  places  where  he  walks, 
have  much  to  do  with  the  health  of  his  body ;  so  the  soul 
must  learn  to  walk,  and  on  the  manner  and  place  of  its 
walking  depends,  to  a  great  extent,  spiritual  health  (Gen. 
17:1;  Ex.  16:4;  Ps.  84:11;  Prov.  10:9;  Isa,  2:5;  Jer. 
6:16;  Micah  6:8;  John  8:12;  Eph.  4:1;  1  John  1:7). 

The  child  must  learn  to  work,  if  he  is  to  develop  his 
body  and  mind  properly,  and  we  must  learn  to  do  spir- 
itual work,  if  we  are  to  be  properly  developed  souls ;  and 
as  the  physical  work  we  do  must  be  done  by  the  direc- 
tion of  the  mind,  so  must  our  spiritual  work  call  upon  the 
body  for  co-operation  (Ex.  31:2-6;  1  Chron.  28:20-21; 
Neh.  4:6;  6:1-9;  Eph.  4:28).  As  there  is  great  variety 
in  physical  labor,  so  in  the  spiritual  life  there  is  something 
for  every  one  to  do,  and  use  for  all  kinds  of  talents  in  the 
work  of  the  Lord  (Matt.  4:19;  9:37-38;  Rom.  12:4-8;  1 
Cor.  12:28-30). 

The  soul,  like  the  body,  needs  rest;  there  is  so  much 
in  the  world  to  weary  our  spirit :  sin  opprosses  us,  work 
beyond  our  strength  burdens  us,  trouble  wears  away  our 
vitafity.  But  God  provides  rest  for  the  soul  (Ps.  Z7 \7 \ 
Jer.  6:16;  Heb.  4:9)  ;  Christ  calls  us  to  Himself  for  rest 
(Matt.  11:28-29),  and  if  we  answer  that  call,  making 


64  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

Him  our  constant  refuge  from  the  cares  and  troubles  of 
the  world,  we  shall  have  spiritual  health,  and  our  strength 
will  be  suited  to  our  needs  day  by  day  (Deut.  33  :25 ;  Ps. 
27:5;  Isa.  40:31;  Eph.  3:14-16;  Phil.  4:13). 

The  soul  must  be  kept  pure  if  we  are  to  have  spiritual 
health  (Ps.  24:3-5)  ;  none  but  the  pure  in  heart  can  see 
God  (Matt.  5:8),  and  unless  we  have  communion  with 
Him  we  can  not  have  healthy  souls.  We  can  keep  our 
souls  pure  by  taking  the  word  of  God  into  them  (Ps.  119: 
1,  11;  John  15:3)  ;  by  thinking  of  pure  things  (Phil.  4: 
8;  1  Tim.  4:12-15)  ;  by  resisting  temptations  to  do  wrong 
(Col.  3:5-10)  ;  by  using  pure  language  (Eph.  4:29)  ;  and 
by  prayer  (Matt.  6:13). 

If  peace  is  an  important  factor  in  bodily  health,  it  is 
indispensable  to  the  health  of  the  soul.  We  are  told  that 
there  is  no  peace  for  the  wicked  (Isa.  57:20-21;  59:8; 
Rom.  3:17).  Now  peace  has  three  phases,  and  we  shall 
see  that  this  statement  is  true  in  regard  to  all  of  them. 

In  the  first  place,  peace  comes  from  reconciliation 
with  God,  which  can  be  obtained  only  through  repent- 
ance and  faith  in  Christ  (Acts  2:38;  Rom.  5:1;  Eph.  2: 
14-15).  Secondly,  peace  comes  from  faith  in  God  as  our 
constant  helper  (Isa.  26:3-4;  Phil.  4:6-7).  And  lastly, 
we  can  not  have  peace  without  trying  to  be  at  peace  with 
our  fellow-men  (Ps.  34:14;  Rom.  14:19;  Eph.  4:1-3;  1 
Thess.  5:13). 

Peace  is  the  heritage  which  Christ  left  to  those  who 
believe  in  Him  (John  14:27),  and  it  is  our  part  to  take 
this  inheritance  and  make  it  our  support,  so  that  when 
the  storms  of  life  come,  we  may  not  only  be  unshaken  by 
them  ourselves,  but  may  be  able  to  sustain  and  rescue 
others  (Acts  27:21-25). 

If,  then,  we  wish  the  blessing  of  spiritual  health,  we 
have  found  the  way  to  it  made  plain  in  the  Scriptures ;  if 
we  are  still  in  our  original  condition,  afflicted  by  the  dis- 
ease of  sin,  we  may  be  healed  by  coming  to  the  Great 
Physician,  who  can  save  us,  no  matter  how  far  toward 
death  we  have  gone  (Mark  2:5-12;  Heb.  7:25)  ;  but  if 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  65 

we  have  already  been  cured  of  this  disease,  let  us  abide  by 
the  rules  He  has  given  for  keeping  our  souls  well  and 
strong  for  His  service  (Eph.  6:10). 

So  we  shall  find  that  our  bodily  health,  too,  will  be 
improved  (Prov.  3:8;  4:20-22),  as  long  as  it  is  the  will 
of  God  that  we  should  live  and  labor  for  Him;  and 
when  it  is  time  for  us  to  depart  from  this  world,  we  shall 
go  without  fear  (Ps.  23:4;  Heb.  2:15),  rejoicing  because 
we  are  to  spend  eternity  with  Christ  our  Lord  (Phil.  1 : 
21-23). 


Chapter  XIII. 

THE  HOPE  SET  BEFORE  US. 

A  hopeful  spirit  is  of  great  value  in  building  up  phy- 
sical health,  but  hopelessness  is  a  great  hindrance  (Prov. 
17:22).  For  this  reason  alone,  Christianity  gives  us  an 
advantage  over  others  in  seeking  to  regain  or  preserve 
health.  It  holds  out  hope  to  all ;  the  sinful,  the  sick,  the 
bereaved,  the  tempted,  the  persecuted;  the  word  of  God 
has  a  message  of  hope  for  every  class  of  humanity  (Isa. 
1:18;  John  3:16;  Ps.  41 :3 ;  Matt.  5:4;  1  Thess.  4:13-14; 
Ps.  10:14;  Matt.  11:5;  Phil.  4:19;  Rom.  5:4-5;  Jas.  1: 
12;  Matt.  5:10-12). 

The  hopes  of  the  world  are  vain,  for  they  are  based 
upon  falsehood  (Isa.  44:20;  Jer.  3:23;  17:5-6;  13),  and 
the  storms  of  life  sweeping  over  them,  destroy  them 
(Matt.  7:26-27),  so  that  sinners  are  really  without  hope 
in  the  world  (Eph.  2:12;  1  Thess.  4:13).  But  the  hopes 
of  the  Christian  are  sure  of  fulfillment  (Jer.  17:7-8;  Heb. 
6:18-19),  because  they  are  based  upon  the  promises  of 
God. 

The  Christian  knows  that  we  are  not  to  expect  a  life 
of  ease  and  pleasure  in  this  world  (John  16:33;  1  Cor. 
15  :19;  2  Tim.  3:12),  for  our  Hfe  on  earth  is  a  temporary 
condition — we  are  not  to  stay  here  always  (Heb.  13:14). 
While  those  who  are  of  the  world  may  fall  into  despair, 
the  Christian  can  hope  in  all  circumstances,  for  God  has 
promised  to  bring  us  safely  through  every  difficulty  if  we 
trust  in  Him  (Ps.  37:23-25;  Isa.  41:10,  43:2;  Matt.  28: 
19-20;  John  14:23;  Rom.  8:35-39;  1  Cor.  10:13;  2  Cor. 
4:8-9;  Heb.  13  :5-6).  This  hope  is  closely  connected  with 
the  promises  to  answer  prayer,  for  although  He  sees  our 
need,  and  often  starts  the  answer  on  its  way  before  we 
begin  to  pray  (Isa.  65  :24;  Dan.  9:23),  yet  He  charges  us 
with  the  duty  of  calling  upon  Him  for  help,  and  promises 
that  He  will  hear  and  answer  our  prayer  (2  Chron.  7: 
14;  Ps.  34:15,  17;  Isa.  55:6;  58:9-10;  Matt.  18:19;  21: 
22;  John  15:7;  16:24;  1  Thess.  5:17). 


68  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

The  hope  of  future  perfection  is  the  Christian's  great 
incentive  now.  If  we  think  this  Hfe  is  to  be  all,  we  shall 
be  so  absorbed  in  its  physical  possessions  and  pleasures 
that  we  shall  not  care  whether  we  do  good  or  evil  in  the 
world  (Eccl.  8:15;  Luke  12:16-20;  16:19-31)  ;  and  if  we 
find  these  things  unsatisfactory,  and  seek  something  high- 
er, like  industry,  or  art,  or  education,  yet  we  shall  not  find 
much  joy  in  them,  because  they  will  not  give  us  much 
advantage  over  those  who  are  engaged  in  the  lower  pur- 
suits (Eccl.  2:4-17). 

Only  when  we  realize  that  there  is  a  time  of  judg- 
ment coming,  when  the  wicked  will  be  punished  and  the 
good  rewarded,  will  we  have  a  strong  motive  for  ab- 
staining from  evil,  and  trying  to  live  righteously  (Eccl. 
12:13-14;  Matt.  12:36;  16:27;  25:31-46;  Acts  10:42;  17: 
31 ;  Rom.  14:10-13 ;  2  Cor.  5  :10). 

Knowing  that  we  must  face  a  holy  God  for  judgment, 
we  do  not  want  to  come  before  Him  with  unholy  lives  be- 
hind us.  But  no  matter  how  perfectly  we  might  live 
from  this  time  forth,  our  future  good  conduct  could  not 
blot  out  the  guilt  of  the  past ;  so  God  has  promised  to  blot 
it  out  if  we  believe  on  Christ  (John  3  :16,  36;  5  :24;  Rom. 
5:1;  8:1-2;  1  Cor.  6:9-11 ;  Col.  2:13-14;  1  John  1:9). 

Then  His  Spirit  dwelling  in  us  will  deliver  us  from 
the  bondage  of  sin,  so  that  we  can  henceforth  obey  His 
law  of  love  (John  14:26;  Rom.  8:5-14;  Gal.  5:18-23). 
We  need  not  be  discouraged,  however,  because  we  do  not 
attain  perfection  immediately,  for  if  we  continue  to  fol- 
low the  example  given  us,  in  spite  of  failures  (Matt.  5: 
48;  John  15:12;  Phil.  3:12-14;  Heb.  12:1-2),  we  have 
the  promise  that  we  shall  make  progress  toward  it  here  (2 
Cor.  3  :18 ;  Gal.  5  :16 ;  6 :9 ;  Phil.  1 :6),  and  that  our  efforts 
will  be  crowned  with  complete  success  in  the  next  life 
(Rom.  8:19-21;  1  Cor.  15:47-49;  Phil.  3:20-21;  Col.  1: 
21-23).  If  we  keep  these  thoughts  in  mind,  they  will  be- 
come a  strong  factor  in  producing  purity  (2  Pet.  3 :10-14; 
1  John  3:2-3),  constancy  (1  Cor.  15:58),  courage  (2 
Cor.  4:12-18),  patience  (Jas.  5:5-8),  and  joy  (1  Pet.  1: 
3-9)  in  our  lives. 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  69 

Then,  not  only  are  we  promised  perfection  of  char- 
acter; the  most  perfect  character  in  the  world  could  not 
be  perfectly  happy  in  a  world  where  misery  abounds. 
Christ  was  perfect,  and  He  had  great  joy  in  His  life 
(John  15:11),  yet  He  was  also  "a  man  of  sorrows,  and 
acquainted  with  grief"  (Isa.  53:3).  His  heart  was 
moved  with  compassion  for  straying  humanity  (Mark  6: 
34),  and  grieved  at  their  refusal  to  turn  from  sin  (Matt. 
23:37;  Luke  19:41-42). 

So  would  it  be  with  us  if  we  became  perfect,  yet  were 
compelled  to  remain  in  a  world  full  of  sickness,  death, 
sorrow  and  sin.  But  we  have  the  promise  of  a  time  when 
these  shall  all  be  banished.  This  time,  to  which  the 
Christian  looks  forward  eagerly,  is  to  be  ushered  in  by 
the  return  of  Christ,  which  is  rapidly  drawing  near.  "The 
day  and  the  hour  knoweth  no  man,"  but  the  assurance  is 
ours  that  He  will  come  again  to  receive  the  Church  as 
His  bride,  and  to  reign  in  righteousness  over  a  redeemed 
earth.  This  will  be  a  time  of  joy  for  all  true  believers 
(Matt.  25:1-46;  John  14:2-3;  Acts  1:11;  1  Thess.  4:13- 
18;  2  Thess.  1:6-10). 

Following  this  earthly  reign  of  a  thousand  years,  God 
has  provided  a  new  world  to  which  we  shall  be  taken;  a 
holy  city,  into  which  neither  sin  and  its  penatly  of  suffer- 
ing; nor  those  who  cling  to  sin,  can  ever  enter  (Rev. 
21:1-2,  8;  22:15);  it  is  iBi^  only  for  those  who  have 
overcome  sin  through  Christ  (Rev.  7:13-14;  21:7). 

There,  having  been  made  perfect  in  character  (Heb. 
12:23),  we  shall  also  have  the  ideal  surroundings  for 
which  we  long  in  vain  here  (Rev.  21  :l-4,  23-27;  22:1-5), 
a  Paradise  which  we  shall  never  lose,  because  there  is  no 
serpent  to  tempt  us,  and  even  if  there  were,  there  would 
be  in  us  nothing  to  respond  to  the  temptation  ( Rev.  22 : 
3-4). 

With  such  a  hope  set  before  them.  Christians  have 
an  unfailing  source  of  joy;  no  matter  what  they  may 
lose,  they  always  have  God,  with  all  that  He  has  promis- 
ed them,  and  they  will  be  happy  in  Him  (Hab.  3:17-18; 


70  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

Phil.  4:4,  19),  for  they  are  "heirs  of  God  and  joint- 
heirs  with  Jesus  Christ,"  even  now  enjoying  the  earnest- 
ness of  their  inheritance  (Eph.  1:14),  and  in  due  time 
they  shall  enter  into  its  full  possession  (Eph.  1:10-11;  1 
Pet.  1:3-4,  13),  which  they  shall  enjoy  forever  (Rev. 
22:5). 

With  such  a  hope  freely  offered  him  (Rev.  22:17), 
how  can  any  right-minded  person  refuse  to  receive  it? 
Whosoever  would  find  the  secret  of  happiness,  the  source 
of  unfailing  joy,  the  fountain  of  life,  need  only  turn  to  the 
Lord,  for  He  has  abundant  store  for  all  who  will  come 
to  Him  (Isa.  12:2-3;  55:1;  John  4:13-14;  Ps.  36:9; 
John  10:10;  2  Tim.  1:10). 


Chapter  XIV. 

THE  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST. 

The  word  "church"  is  derived  from  a  Greek  word 
which  means  "belonging  to  God."  A  church  is  any  body  of 
people  giving  their  allegiance  to  the  Lord.  The  Chris- 
tian church  is  composed  of  all  those  who  have  declared 
their  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Son  of  God  and 
Savior  of  the  world,  and  their  purpose  to  live  in  fellow- 
ship with  Him  (Matt.  16:15-18,  24;  Acts  2:37-47). 

The  division  of  the  church  into  denominations  has 
been  an  obstacle  in  the  minds  of  many  persons,  to  their 
believing  in  Christ,  and  uniting  with  the  church.  They 
ask  "How  are  we  to  know  which  is  the  right  church 
among  so  many  ?  How  are  we  to  decide  between  Metho- 
dists and  Presbyterian,  Episcopalians  and  Lutherans, 
Baptists  and  Congregationalists,  Disciples  (or  Christian 
Church)  and  Reformed,  and  even  divisions  of  these  divis- 
ions of  Christianity?  Surely  they  cannot  all  be  right," 
say  some,  "and  therefore  the  probablity  is  that  they  are 
all  wrong,  so  we  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  religion 
which  they  teach." 

In  His  last  prayer  with  His  disciples,  Jesus  asked 
"That  they  all  may  be  one ;  as  Thou,  Father,  art  in  me, 
and  I  in  Thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us ;  that  the 
world  may  beHeve  that  Thou  hast  sent  Me"  (John  17: 
21)  ;  and  it  is  true  that  the  greater  the  unity  in  the  church, 
the  more  influence  it  will  have  upon  the  world,  for  its 
divisions  are  human,  while  its  unity  is  divine. 

Divisions  in  the  church  at  Corinth  arose  from  attach- 
ment to  different  leaders  (1  Cor.  3:3-4).  There  was 
no  difference  in  the  doctrines  of  Paul  and  Apollos,  yet  the 
converts  of  each  had  so  much  special  affection  for  the  one 
who  had  been  the  means  of  saving  them,  that  they  were 
in  danger  of  overlooking  the  fact  that  the  men  were  only 
the  means  which  God  had  used  for  their  salvation. 
Denominations  of   Paulinians    and    Apollonians    would 


72  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

probably  have  been  organized  at  that  time,  had  Paul  not 
written  to  reprove  the  church,  and  to  remind  them  that 
Christ  alone  was  the  foundation  upon  which  all  must 
build. 

Diferences  of  opinion  in  the  church  had  risen  even 
earlier,  but  they  were  settled  by  a  council  of  all  the  lead- 
ing Christians,  gathered  at  Jerusalem  (Acts  15:4-29). 

Human  minds  are  not  all  cast  in  the  same  mold,  and 
will  see  truth  from  different  points  of  view.  There  are 
only  two  ways  of  procuring  uniformity  of  opinion ;  one  of 
these  is  by  the  repression  of  thought,  which  leads  to  lack 
of  individuality;  this  was  the  way  in  which  uniformity 
was  obtained  during  the  Dark  Ages,  when  the  Bible  was 
a  sealed  book  to  all  but  a  corrupted  clergy,  who  inter- 
preted it  according  to  the  dictates  of  the  Pope,  and  the 
common  people  blindly  followed  their  leadership. 

The  Reformation  came  when  a  few  of  the  clergy 
began  to  think  for  themselves,  and  opened  the  Bible  to 
the  people  again.  With  the  wave  of  intense  interest  in  the 
Bible,  came  much  study  of  it,  and  various  interpretations 
by  able  leaders.  Luther,  for  instance,  turned  from  the 
Roman  Catholic  doctrine  of  transubstantiation,  which 
teaches  that  the  bread  and  wine  of  the  Lord's  Supper  are 
transformed  into  the  real  body  and  blood  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  taught  instead  consubstantiation — that 
His  body  and  blood  are  only  present  with  the  bread  and 
wine.  The  Lutherans  still  hold  this  doctrine.  Zwingli, 
on  the  other  hand,  taught  that  the  bread  and  wine  are 
merely  symbolic  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  and  the 
controversy  between  the  adherents  of  these  two  doctrines 
often  led  to  bitterness  of  feeling  between  them. 

John  Calvin,  a  French  reformer,  who  in  1536  pub- 
lisehd  his  "Institutes  of  the  Christian  Religion,"  empha- 
sized five  special  points  in  his  teaching:  (1)  Particular 
election.  (2)  Particular  redemption.  (3)  Moral  inabil- 
ity in  a  fallen  state.  (4)  Irresistible  grace.  (5)  Final 
perserevance. 

James  Harmensen,  better  known  as  Arminius,  was  a 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  73 

Dutch  theologian,  who  differed  with  Calvin  in  some  of  his 
doctrines.  He  undertook  to  combat  Calvin's  doctrines 
with  the  following  five  points  of  Arminianism :  ( 1 )  That 
God  from  all  eternity  predestinated  to  eternal  life  those 
who,  He  foresaw,  would  have  permanent  faith  in  Christ. 
(2)  That  Christ  died  for  all  mankind,  not  simply  for  the 
elect.  (3)  That  man  requires  regeneration  by  the  Holy 
Spirit.  (4)  That  man  may  resist  divine  grace.  (5) 
That  man  may  fall  from  grace.  Nearly  all  of  our  pres- 
ent denominations  nominally  adhere  to  one  or  the  other 
of  these  reformers. 

But  while  Calvinists  and  Arminians  for  many  years 
disputed  as  hotly  as  if  their  doctrines  were  irreconcile- 
able,  we  of  these  later  days  can  see  that  some  of  them 
were  only  differences  in  the  manner  of  expressing  the 
same  truth  (1  and  3),  and  the  others  are  two  sides  of  the 
same  truth. 

The  Arminian  says  Christ  died  for  all  mankind,  and 
He  did  (John  3:16).  The  Calvinist  says  Christ  died  for 
the  elect,  which  is  equally  true,  for  He  knew  that  while 
His  sacrifice  was  made  for  all,  many  would  not  accept 
Him,  and  He  died  for  those  who  would  accept  Him  (1 
Pet.  1:2;  2:24). 

The  Calvinist  says  the  grace  of  God  is  irresistible 
(Matt.  26-75;  John  21:15-17;  Acts  9:3-18;  Eph.  2:8). 
The  Arminian  says  that  man  may  resist  divine  grace 
(Luke  18:18-24;  Acts  17:32;  26:28-29).  But  we  can 
see  that  while  the  grace  of  God  may  be  resisted 
by  the  unbelieving  heart,  there  comes  a  time  when  it  is 
irresistible  to  the  believer  (Rom.  1 :16;  1  Cor.  1 :22-24). 

The  Calvinist  says  that  those  who  accept  Christ  will 
be  kept  from  falling,  and  are  sure  of  salvation  (John  10: 
28 ;  Rom.  8 :38-39 ;  Jude  25-26).  The  Arminian  says  man 
may  fall  from  grace  (Matt.  12:43-45;  Heb.  6:4-6;  10:26; 
2  Pet.  2:20).  But  we  can  see  that  these  differences  are 
not  irreconcileable,  and  the  Calvinist  acknowledges  that 
there  is  danger  of  back-sliding — that  those  who  have  re- 
ceived the  word,  and  started  following  Christ,  need  to  be 


74  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

careful  to  see  that  their  roots  go  deep  enough  so  that  they 
will  not  wither  under  the  heat  of  temptation,  and  that 
they  must  see  to  the  destruction  of  the  weeds,  lest  their 
spiritual  Hfe  be  choked  by  them  (Matt.  13:20-22),  and 
they  fail  to  come  into  saving  relationship  with  Christ,  (2 
Cor.  13:5;  2  Thess.  2:9-10;  1  Pet.  5:8-11). 

While  the  Arminian,  though  still  emphasizing  the 
danger  of  falling  from  grace  (Matt.  24:12;  1  Cor.  10: 
12;  Gal.  5  :l-4),  acknowledges  that  those  who  hold  fast  to 
Christ  will  never  be  forsaken  by  Him,  and  are  sure  of 
final  salvation  (Ps.  37:28;  Matt.  24:13;  Col.  1:21;  2 
Thess.  2:13-14;  1  Pet.  1:3-6). 

Besides  these  differences  of  doctrines,  there  are  dif- 
ferences of  opinion  in  regard  to  the  proper  mode  of  bap- 
tism —  whether  by  immersion,  pouring,  or  sprinkling. 
While  the  majority  of  the  evangelical  denominations  hold 
that  sprinkling  is  the  proper  form,  the  Baptists,  Chris- 
tians (or  Disciples),  and  others,  hold  that  immersion  is 
the  proper  method.  Yet  none  of  these  brethren  would 
now  presume  to  say  that  his  method  is  essential  to  sal- 
vation. 

Differences  in  the  government  of  the  churches  have 
given  rise  to  some  of  our  denominational  names.  Epis- 
copal churches  are  those  having  a  government  by  bishops 
(Latin,  Episcopus^bishop)  ;  these  bishops  are  chosen 
from  among  the  clergy,  to  superintend  the  work  of  all  the 
churches  within  their  respective  districts,  having  author- 
ity superior  to  that  of  the  rest  of  the  clergy. 

Presbyterian  churches  are  named  from  being  govern- 
ed by  elders  (Latin,  presbyter).  They  believe  that  the 
words  elder  and  bishop  used  in  the  new  Testament,  are 
different  names  for  the  same  officer  (Acts  20:17,  28;  1 
Tim.  3:1-5).  They  are  governed  by  elders  elected  by  the 
congregations,  these  elders  being  divided  into  teaching 
elders,  or  ministers,  and  ruling  elders ;  these  elders  share 
equally  in  the  government  of  the  church,  both  in  the 
individual. congregations,  and  in  the  legislative  bodies  of 
the  denomination — the  presbytery,  Synod,  and  General 
Assembly. 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health  75 

The  Congregational  system  of  government  is  that  in 
which  each  congregation  makes  its  own  laws,  and  is  not 
under  the  authority  of  any  body  outside  itself.  The  Con- 
gregational churches,  and  other  American  churches  hav- 
ing this  form  of  government,  however,  have  councils  to 
which  representatives  of  the  various  churches  are  sent, 
where  they  confer  together  about  the  work  in  which  they 
have  a  common  interest. 

These  three  forms  of  government  might  be  classed  as 
follows :  The  Episcopalian  verges  on  aristocracy ;  the 
Presbyterian  is  republican,  and  the  Congregational,  dem- 
ocratic. 

Modes  of  worship  also  create  distinctions  among  the 
churches,  for  some,  like  the  Episcopalians,  have  liturgical 
services,  while  others  worship  in  more  informal  ways, 
preferring  to  pray  as  the  Spirit  moves  them  rather  than 
to  use  set  forms. 

These  differences  of  government,  modes  of  baptism, 
and  forms  of  worship  do  not  affect  the  fundamental 
truths  of  Christianity,  which  are  simple  enough  for  any 
child  to  understand.  The  divergences  among  evangelical 
churches  are  only  in  things  which  are  not  essential  to  the 
Christian  faith;  the  sprinkled  Christian  and  the 
immersed  Christian  love  their  Lord  equally  well,  and 
because  of  their  mutual  love  for  Him  love  each  other,  and 
can  work  together  for  the  promotion  of  His  kingdom. 

The  applicant  for  church  membership  is  not  asked 
whether  he  believes  in  the  particular  doctrine  and  form  of 
government  of  the  church  to  which  he  seeks  admission, 
but  simply  whether  he  accepts  Christ  as  his  Savior,  and 
will  try  to  obey  Him  in  all  things.  Most  of  the  churches 
give  letters  to  other  denominations,  or  if  they  do  not,  will 
receive  members  from  other  denominations  on  re-affirm- 
ation of  faith,  as  distinguished  from  confession  or  pro- 
fession of  faith  by  new  converts  to  Christianity. 

This  unity  in  diversity  has  been  brought  about  by  the 
second  method  of  securing  uniformity :  the  spirit  of  love, 
which  is  the   fruit  of  the   Spirit  of   God  in  the   souls   of 


76  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

believers,  causing  unity  in  faith  and  work  (Gal.  5:22), 
and  thus  answering  Christ's  prayer  "that  they  all  may  be 
one"  (John  17:23;  1  Cor.  12:4-6;  Eph.  4:1-3). 

Never  since  the  Reformation  have  the  Protestant 
churches  been  so  closely  united  as  they  are  today,  and  the 
fellowship  grows  closer  all  the  time,  as  they  work  together 
for  the  establishment  of  Christ's  kingdom  in  the  world. 
To  reject  the  rehgion  of  Christ  because  His  followers  are 
divided  into  denominations,  would  be  as  foolish  as  to 
reject  American  citizenship  because  American  voters  are 
divided  into  parties. 

If  we  are  truly  seeking  health,  either  spiritually  or 
physically,  we  can  find  no  better  aid  than  the  evangelical 
churches  give.  Their  ideals  are  higher  than  those  of  the 
world  (Luke  12:29-31;  Rom.  12:2;  Col.  3:1-17);  their 
fellowship  with  each  other  is  sweeter  (John  15:12;  Acts 
20:17-38)  ;  their  relationship  to  God  is  closer  (John  1 :12 ; 
2  Cor.  6:14-18);  their  work  is  more  worth  while  and 
more  enduring  (Ps.  112;  Matt.  19:29;  John  6:27;  1  Cor. 
15  :58;  Col.  3  :23-24),  and  their  hopes  more  certain  of  ful- 
filment (Rom.  5:5-9;  Heb.  6:18-19;  1  Pet.  1 :3-5). 

The  interests  of  the  church  are  broad  enough  to  take 
us  out  of  our  old  selves  (Matt.  13:38;  Acts  1:8)  ;  high 
enough  to  Hft  us  above  our  natural  selves  (Matt.  5:16; 
Luke  10:2;  Phil.  1:27;  Heb.  12:1-2),  and  deep  enough 
to  develop  our  spiritual  life  and  health  (Ps.  36:6;  1  Cor. 
2:10;  Eph.  3:14-19),  and  thus  give  us  a  joy  which  brings 
physical  health  through  the  abundant  life  of  Christ  (Ps. 
16:11;  Prov.  12:28;  Isa.  52:8-9;  John  10:10;  Titus 
3:4-7). 


Chapter  XV 

PLANS  AND  FURTHER  BIBLE  STUDY 

It  is  taken  for  granted  that  those  who  have  read  this 
book  will  have  more  than  a  passing  interest  in  religion, 
and  that,  having  begun  the  study  of  its  chief  text-book, 
the  Bible,  in  connection  with  the  "Christian  Science  of 
Health,"  they  will  wish  to  continue  it  permanently.  The 
great  themes  which  we  have  been  considering  have  only 
been  touched  upon  in  this  little  volume.  For  this  reason, 
a  few  plans  for  further  study  which  have  been  found 
helpful  by  others  are  given  here. 

A  reference  Bible  is  necessary  for  this  study,  and 
preferably  one  with  a  concordance  or  subject-index,  most 
of  the  Bibles  with  teacher's  helps  containing  both.  These 
are  very  moderate  in  price,,  and  most  homes  already  con- 
tain one  or  more  of  them. 

Joining  a  good  Sunday  School  class  will  be  found  very 
helpful  in  the  study  of  the  Bible.  The  thoughts  of  the 
teacher  and  other  members  of  the  class  will  often  throw 
clearer  light  upon  passages  than  our  own  study  has  given. 

As  we  study  the  lesson  for  each  week,  it  is  very  help- 
ful to  read  each  day  the  home  reading  given  in  the  lesson 
helps  furnished  by  the  school;  another  aid,  is  the  look- 
ing up  of  each  reference  given  on  the  passage  being 
studied. 

Studying  the  Bible  topically,  was  one  of  D.  L. 
Moody's  favorite  methods.  Take  some  important  sub- 
ject, such  as  faith,  hope,  love,  sin,  prayer,  God,  Christ, 
Holy  Ghost  or  Spirit — and  by  means  of  the  concordance 
and  subject-index  find  out  all  that  the  Bible  says  about 
each  one.  This  is  the  best  method  of  making  ourselves  so 
familiar  with  the  teaching  of  the  Bible  on  fundamental 
points,  that  we  shall  not  be  misled  by  false  doctrines 
which  profess  to  be  based  upon  the  Bible,  but  which 
really  contradict  the  word  of  God  on  the  most  vital  truths 
of  Christianity. 

Memorize  as  many  of  these  passages  as  possible,  for 


78  The  Christian  Science  of  Health 

as  David  says,  we  must  hide  the  word  in  our  hearts,  to 
keep  us  from  sinning  against  God  (Ps.  119:11).  John 
Flavel,  a  Christian  writer  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
says  "Keep  the  word  and  the  word  will  keep  you."  "Con- 
science cannot  be  urged  or  awed  by  forgotten  truth." 

The  Bible  has  a  story  to  tell — the  story  of  redeeming 
love — and  this  is  a  connected  narrative  running  through 
the  whole  book,  from  Genesis  to  Revelation.  We  can 
never  grasp  this  historical  connection  of  the  Bible  until 
we  read  it  straight  through,  just  as  we  would  read  any, 
other  book.  From  personal  experience,  as  well  as  obser- 
vation, I  can  testify  to  the  need  of  reading  the  Bible  in 
this  way;  for  in  my  childhood  days  I  had  the  vaguest 
ideas  concerning  the  time  when  the  various  persons  in 
the  Bible  lived.  King  Saul  and  Saul  of  Tarsus  were  some- 
times mixed;  some  events  which  were  hundreds  of  years 
apart,  I  thought  I  had  happened  about  the  same  time; 
while  others  which  were  really  closely  connected,  I  sup- 
posed had  happened  many  years  apart.  I  remember  my 
surprise  when  I  first  learned  that  the  events  given  in  the 
first  few  chapters  of  Acts  occurred  within  a  few  weeks 
after  the  ascension  of  Christ.  We  had  always  studied 
about  the  ascension  from  one  of  the  gospels,  and  then 
some  time  had  elapsed  before  we  began  the  study  of 
Acts,  and  our  first  lesson  in  that  book  was  usually  Peter's 
sermon  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 

The  faster  we  read  the  Bible  through,  the  better  will 
be  our  grasp  upon  the  connection  of  all  its  parts.  By 
reading  only  three  chapters  each  week-day,  and  five  chap- 
ters on  Sunday,  we  can  finish  it  in  a  little  less  than  a  year, 
even  if  we  divide  the  one  htmdred  and  nineteenth  Psalm, 
which  is  very  long,  into  six  chapters.  By  doubling  the 
number  of  chapters  read  each  day,  we  can  finish  it  in  six 
months,  and  be  doing  no  more  than  if  we  studied  the 
General  History  at  school  in  six  months,  which  is  usually 
done,  in  addition  to  many  other  studies,  still  leaving  time 
for  additional  duties  and  pleasures.  It  would  be  well  to 
do  this  for  our  first  complete  reading. 


The  Christian  Science  of  Health*  ' '        79 

After  going  through  the  Bible  several  times  in  suc- 
cession, we  shall  be  well  grounded  in  its  history  and  doc- 
trines, and  will  just  need  to  refresh  our  memories  by  a 
consecutive  reading  occasionally,  studying  it  in  other 
ways  in  the  intervening  time. 

Reading  one  book  at  a  time  is  another  method  sug- 
gested by  D.  L.  Moody,  and  this  is  also  an  excellent  way. 
"Reading  for  the  story"  sometimes,  was  suggested  by 
Robert  J.  Burdette.  Take  the  story  of  Abraham,  or 
Joseph,  or  Ruth,  or  David,  or  Paul,  and  begin  reading  it 
like  any  other  story,  and  you  will  find  yourself  becoming 
so  interested  that  you  will  not  want  to  stop  until  you  have 
finished  it. 

Whatever  methods  we  use,  regularity  in  Bible  study  is 
as  important  as  regularity  in  meals.  We  should  set  aside 
at  least  fifteen  minutes  a  day  for  this  purpose;  more,  if 
possible,  and  the  earlier  in  the  day  the  better.  Rising 
half  an  hour  earlier  than  usual,  to  begin  the  day  with 
God  by  studying  His  word,  though  it  may  be  hard  at 
first,  brings  such  a  blessing  that  we  will  not  easily  give 
up  the  habit.  It  may  necessitate  an  earlier  hour  for 
retiring,  but  "early  to  bed  and  early  to  rise"  makes  a  man 
healthy,  and  wealthy  and  wise"  in  the  things  of  the  king- 
dom of  God,  as  well  as  in  earthly  affairs  ,if  we  use  the 
first  few  moments  of  the  day  in  communion  with  God 
through  Bbile  study  and  prayer. 

No  Bible  study  can  accomplish  what  it  should,  how- 
ever, unless  it  is  done  in  the  spirit  of  prayer.  We  must 
ask  God  to  open  our  eyes,  that  we  may  behold  won- 
drous things  out  of  His  law  (Ps.  119:18),  for  His  Spirit 
is  our  teacher  (John  14:26),  and  we  need  Him  to  apply 
the  lessons  to  our  hearts. 

And  last  of  all,  to  get  the  most  good  out  of  the 
Bible,  we  must  not  forget  to  practice  its  teachings  in  our 
lives  every  day  (Matt.  7:24-27;  Jas.  1 :22-24).  They  were 
wise  men  who  expressed  the  truth  in  these  words :  "That 
the  word  may  become  effectual  unto  salvation,  we  must 
attend  thereunto  with  diligence,  preparation,  and  prayer ; 


80  TiiE  Christian  Science  of  Health 

receive  it  vath  faith  and  love,  lay  it  up  in  our  hearts,  and 
practice  it  in  our  lives."  By  following  their  advice  we 
shall  receive  all  the  blessings,  physical,  mental  and  spirit- 
ual, which  it  has  for  humanity. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 

Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


^^^  17  ma 


l2Dec'55nB 
N0V2  91955  i(f 

LD  21-100m-9,*47(A5702sl6)476 


^^oS 


KEC'D  LD 

JAN  10  1963 


YB  27868 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


